Bat Out of Hell
by Cap'n Green
Summary: Ulquiorra and the other Espada find themselves alive after the Winter War. Only, now they have no leader. What happens when Ulquiorra is forced to step up to the plate and take control of Hueco Mundo? How will the other Arrancar react? Ulquihime
1. Heir of Hueco Mundo

**Note: This story is VERY AR, so please bear with me. It's set after Aizen's capture. And warning, I will be using both the English and Japanese versions for the names, because some of them I don't like, but some I do. So...you get the idea. **

Chapter 1: The Heir of Hueco Mundo

Ulquiorra Schifer blinked, unsure as to where he was. "Am I in hell...?" He asked himself, looking around. Hell was depicted as a fiery pit, rather than a square white room with a lone, small, white pillar in the middle. Ulquiorra walked over, and stood in front of it. He took his hand, which he had found in his pocket, as if he had been just standing idly, and traced a sharp edge on the stone.

A blue light passed directly through the pillar, before a single line started crawling up the side, outlining numerous circles. Curious eyes lowered to the largest button, which was on the bottom right part. He smoothed his palm over it, feeling the coolness of the stone, as if it had been made from marble. He heard a click, and looked up, unsurprised at what he saw.

Multiple holographic screens hovered against the far wall, showing various parts of what he remembered to be Hueco Mundo. 'So this must be the main control room..." He thought idly, inspecting each screen carefully. He noted bodies scattered, rather sloppily, along the ground. There was a depiction of Yammy Llargo's body, eyes wide, now reverted back to Arrancar form, along with Grimmjow Jagerjaquez's body. It even showed the inside of some towers, such as Aaroniero Arruruerie's, and what used to be Szayelaporro Grantz's tower.

He sighed. Imbeciles, the lot of them. Who had they fought to destroy them so? Well, other than Grimmjow. Grimmjow, he could slightly understand, seeing as Ichigo had also defeated himself. A familiar memory went through Ulquiorra's mind, one of him attempting to lock hands with the woman he'd stood guard over. What was her name again...? Inoue. Inoue, Orihime. That's what it was. She had kindled his interest, for some reason. He must find out why. But first, how had he himself gotten here?

Ulquiorra pressed that same large button, causing the screen's to disappear. He looked at another, curiously pressing it, raising his green eyes to the wall in front of him slowly. Unfortunately, that had done nothing. Green eyes narrowed as he looked at the button board again, pushing one at the top right. He heard a clicking sound, as the wall in front of him opened the door. Ulquiorra put his hand back in his pocket, as he walked out of the room, into another large chamber.

The new chamber was blank, aside from the fact that it looked as if a large skull was jutting out of the wall opposite the doorway, a pair of horns raising from both sides, not unlike Ulquiorra's own on his mask fragment. The eyes were empty, a stripe leading down from them to where the jaw-bone would have been, also like Ulquiorra's.

As Ulquiorra stepped into the room, that same blue light passed from where his foot had touched, making what had been invisible lines, now bright blue. There were even lines going to the top of the back wall, behind the skull, that came down onto the back of its head and went into its eye sockets, stopping there.

A tremor passed through the ground, as the light in the eyes slowly grew brighter. Ulquiorra took a step back, to find that there was no longer any door there. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, looking around for any way out. When he found that there was none, he leaned against where the doorway was, watching the skull in a bored manner.

**Meanwhile, In Hueco Mundo**

Bright blue eyes blinked open in surprise, before closing as the searing sun burned his cataracts. He waited a few moments, before opening them slowly. He looked around, seeing rubble and destroyed building all around him. "Where the hell am I?" he growled to himself, looking down to see that he was no longer in his resureccion form. The man slowly pushed himself up onto his feet. "Damn...dying hurts like a bitch." he muttered, looking around. No sign of anyone.

What was he doing alive? He thought that cheap-powered punk had killed him. Either way, the fact of the matter was, that he was alive again, and depending on who else was in Hueco Mundo, he could become King. He looked to his zanpaku-to, noticing that it was still at his side. 'Good,' he thought. 'I may need it for battles to come.'

He looked to the direction of Hueco Mundo, before beginning his short walk. He could sense another powerful reiatsu, although he wouldn't admit it, it was far more powerful than his own. "Ulquiorra..." he said, a grin coming to his face. "Now we can finally decide who is the victor." Grimmjow said with a feral tone.

**Back To Ulquiorra...**

Ulquiorra looked unfazed as the light illuminated the whole eye-socket, giving the skull a whimsical appearance. "Ulquiorra Schiffer." An echoing voice called out, which made Ulquiorra, in turn, look at the skull, his eyes slightly wide. "I am the Deity of Las Noches. I go by many titles. You may call me Dios," the voice called. Ulquiorra nodded, overcoming his initial surprise.

"You may be wondering what you are doing here...Well, I have summoned you here as rightful heir to Hueco Mundo." The voice called, which made Ulquiorra's eyes widen visibly this time.

"Allow me to tell the tale, and explain in the process..." The voice began.

"_Back when the World of the Living, the Soul Society, and even Las Noches were new, humans populated every planet. There was one tribe that stood above the rest, known as the Head Hunters. There was a tribe of them on each planet, each one successful in their conquests. Until one day the leader of the Las Noches tribe, Austero, realized that they had grown too powerful, and that the balance of all things good and evil were being thrown into chaos. _

_Austero and his tribe found a way to cross the gap between all three worlds, and tried negotiating with their tribesmen from the different world, but to no avail. El Que Llora and his own tribe had no choice but to kill their kinsmen. They started with the Earth tribe, before moving onto the tribe that lived on what is now called the Soul Society. Each battle, more lives were lost, with each death, Austero shed tears for the fallen, earning him the nickname, El Que Llora._

_After each tribe was vanquished, El Que Llora's tribe faded into the sands of Las Noches. An empty gap had grown in El Que Llora's heart, where he fed all of the sorrow, so it would stop plaguing him. Soon, even his happiness, anger, and every other emotion he'd had was pulled into that hole. He went through the violent transformation into being a Hollow, due to the negative power of Las Noches. He was shifted, both physically, and mentally, into a killer. He devoured all of his tribesmen, both those on Las Noches, World of the Living, and Soul Society, which spawned the vampire myth. Not that foolish man, Vlad Tepes. _

_Realizing what he had done, El Que Llora became twisted with grief, and wandered the sands on his own. That is, until he found one remaining member. She had flowing orange hair, and bright eyes. For some reason he could not fathom, El Que Llora did not feel the urge to attack this female. She traveled with him for many years, until they came upon the Forest of Hollows. It was there, she was attacked and fatally wounded. After losing the remaining happiness he had accumulated, El Que Llora went on yet another rampage, devouring all of the hollows in the Forest. By doing so, he quickly rose to the rank of Vasto Lorde, retaining green tear-shaped marks running down his face to show his many years of grief. It was then, that he was found by the Soul Reaper, Sosuke Aizen. There, you were born, as Ulquiorra Schiffer..." _

Ulquiorra stood in slight shock at the news. He was the true ruler of Hueco Mundo...? This was all a big shock. "Ulquiorra Schiffer, place your zanpaku-to upon my lower jaw so I may impart upon you a portion of my knowledge." Dios commanded, the maw to the great skull opening slightly, revealing an area where he could set the zanpaku-to. He took out Murcielago, placing it upon the front teeth on the lower jaw. The moment he did, a large reiatsu, infinitely bigger than his own, starting flowing into him for a moment, blowing his hair back slightly with the force.

Ulquiorra took a step back, looking at his charred fingertips, which were healing rapidly. He found it odd he was healing so quickly, and he wasn't even in his Segunda Etapa. He stood at attention when the Hollow-God, Dios, spoke again.

"Claim your blade, Ulquiorra Schiffer, claim the power of being King, and with that, claim the castle of Hueco Mundo that rightfully belongs to you. " The Hollow-God said, which prompted Ulquiorra to walk over, before slowly reclaiming his zanpaku-to. He could feel the rush of Reiatsu as it flowed from his zanpaku-to into him, making him stronger by an unknown degree. He placed Murcielago back in the sheath, before turning back to the Hollow-God.

"Leave now, gather up your now-revived subjects, and show all how a true King would rule." He said, as the door behind Ulquiorra opened up again. It was moments like this where Ulquiorra didn't know what to say, so he merely bowed, and said, "I thank you for the power you have seen fit to bestow upon me." With that, he turned and left, only to find himself back in what he now knew to be the control room.

Without any hesitation, he pressed a button off on the side, which opened a door to the side of the room. He walked through that, and found himself in what he figured used to be Aizen-sama's personal quarters. He looked around, noticing the ex-Soul Reaper had nothing in his room besides the bed, a desk, with multiple plans upon it, and the door to his personal restroom, which was ajar. Ulquiorra sighed, before walking out, to where he had brought Orihime Inoue after first kidnapping her. This also happened to be the room where they created the arrancar.

At the moment, Ulquiorra was standing upon a balcony, shocked to see dozens of arrancar and Espada both below him, standing in that very room, all Espada in their chamber. Ulquiorra looked down upon all of these arrancar. What had they been waiting for? Had the Hollow-God revived them, as he did himself? With these questions in mind, he watched Arrancar leave, more recently-deceased appearing in their place, now alive. As if Hueco Mundo were repopulating itself.

"Very well...I shall rule as I once did, with my tribe of men." Ulquiorra said, turning his back on them, and walking downstairs. He was shocked when there waited somebody, waiting to confront him.

"Hello, Ulquiorra." The gruff voice said, a rather angry tone to it.


	2. New Tensions

**A/N: I was very impressed with the Feedback I was getting with last chapter. SO, it made me want to write a Shout-Out section. This way, it would be easier for me to communicate with my readers. (Even though we COULD use the pm, but...this way is much cooler.) Remember, to get a shout-out, you must submit a review with a question, or some sort of comment that is interesting. Maybe even give me constructive criticism.**

**Anyway, enough about the Shout-Outs. I hope you guys/gals enjoy the read.**

**Shout-Outs:**

No Time For Cameras: I put that...? Ha, sorry. I don't really know the meaning of the word, and it was used frequently with the eyes...Well, I know now. 

Hands in Red Paint: Yeah, I fixed it. I tend to do that a lot. I kinda get caught up in the stories themselves...

EVILSMILEY999: True, true. Next time you come over, I'm gettin' some. :D

S'laughterSalvadora: Well...I sent that pm to you...so I don't really know what to put here. Figured you'd like a shout-out, though.

relya schiffer: Haha, no worries. He's one of my favorite characters. I don't think my fragile heart could take it if he died again. Lol

**Chapter 2: New Tensions**

Ulquiorra looked at the figure standing before him, unmoved by the glare at all. "I think we need to talk..." Baraggan Louisenbarn, the current Segundo Espada. Ulquiorra watched him attentively. Although his posterior showed relaxation, and little of any other emotion, if one were to search deeper, they'd find him coiled like a spring, ready to uncoil at a moments notice.

"Very well, I believe the mess hall would be a good place." Ulquiorra said, moving past Baraggan, down the stairs, and to the mess hall. After a moment's hesitation, Baraggan followed, glaring at Ulquiorra's back. He followed, silently thinking of what he was going to say to the younger Espada, and current King of Hueco Mundo.

Ulquiorra walked through Las Noches, perfectly content with the silence. He stopped abruptly, turning to a wall with a plate on it. He touched the plate, where the wall opened up like a door, showing what looked like a vast cafeteria. He walked in, before sitting down at one of the booths, resting his hands on his lap. Baraggan sat down across from him, resting his large hands on the table, staring at him for a moment.

"You wanted to talk about something...?" Ulquiorra inquired, staring at Baraggan, who stared back just as intensely. Baraggan took a quick breath, before nodding. "It has come to my attention that you have become King of Hueco Mundo..." Baraggan started, which earned a brief nod from Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra couldn't help but wonder how he knew already, seeing as not even fifteen minutes ago, Ulquiorra had learned of his inheritance himself. Baraggan then continued.

"Well, I believe it would be best for you to step down." Baraggan said menacingly, intertwining his fingers together, glaring at Ulquiorra. "There are some who would rather the Old King reign...the true King, one with more power than a whelp like you." Baraggan said, his one open eye staring intently at Ulquiorra, searching for anything within Ulquiorra's own emerald gaze.

"I was told by the very god of Hueco Mundo himself I am to reign. If he sees me fit, then I shall do as he says." Ulquiorra said, his cold tone giving off no hint of any emotion he may or may not be feeling. Baraggan's eye twitched, before he said, "Ulquiorra, I am giving you a way out before you get a terrible thrashing. I would rather take the throne peacefully, than have to drive you off of it."

Ulquiorra returned his gaze, before saying, "I believe we are done here." He stood up, and walked to the door, turning when Baraggan spoke again. "I would highly recommend you consider my offer, Quarto Espada. Before conflict breaks out, and you get hurt." Ulquiorra turned back to the door, pressing his fingers against a metal plate that was also on the other side. Ulquiorra put his hands in his pocket as he walked out, intent on getting some rest so he could mull things over. It was then he remembered something, or rather, someone in specific.

Ulquiorra pulled his hand from his pocket, looking at it intently. "I've found a heart...then lost it. Now I need to get it back again." Ulquiorra said, bringing his fingers to form a fist. Ulquiorra walked back to his room, pondering all the way. There should be some sort of way to show he was set apart from the other Espada, that he was king. He didn't want to do like the humans do, with the crown, but other than that, the most he could do is change his outfit.

Ulquiorra nodded, before turning around and walking to the resident clothes-maker. It took half an hour, because the clothes-maker wanted a tower, just like the Espada. Aizen had agreed to give her one, since there were so many Arrancar, and she agreed to make every suit. Ulquiorra ascended the stairs, pausing before the door. He knocked briefly twice, before waiting.

In a few moments, a haggard, old-looking female Arrancar came out. She had wiry gray hair, a hunched back with a walking stick, and an eye-patch. The remnants of her hollow mask consisted of a bone-plated shoulder, the plates going all the way to cover even her hands.

"Ulquiorra Schiffer, about time! You ready to give me that ring yet?" She asked, cackling to herself. "I'm just tugging your chain. Come in, come in." She said. One thing Ulquiorra liked about the seamstress, was the fact that she was able to be respectful, unlike most other Arrancar. They were usually too cocky for their own good.

"Louise." Ulquiorra addressed her, sitting down on the couch across from the reclining chair, which happened to have a sewing machine built in. Unlike most other Arrancar, also, Louise had made her home modeled after the human home, with a warm fireplace, furnishing, and even carpet. "So, what can I do ye' for?" She asked, pulling the sewing machine in front of her.

Ulquiorra stood up, before saying, "I would like changes made to my Arrancar outfit..."

**Several hours later...**

Ulquiorra walked out of Louise's home, his Arrancar outfit modified to suit his need to be distinguished from the other Arrancar. His suit was still modeled the same way is it was, with the exception that running across the breast of the suit was on green stripe, the same color as the tear-marks on Ulquiorra's cheeks.

Ulquiorra walked through the halls of Las Noches to his own tower, sighing when he opened the door. Although he had been revived a half of a day ago, he was weary. He took his Espada clothing off, and dumped it in the laundry chute. He stood still, in his sleeping pants, as he stared at the sun.

Aizen made sure it was nearly always day out. That was one thing that would change. Ulquiorra, without even realizing it, slowly raised his finger, pointing at the sun. Quickly, the sun went down, revealing the moon, one that was rarely seen in Hueco Mundo. Ulquiorra was shocked when he noticed his position, before thinking. Perhaps that the Hollow God was right; perhaps he truly was to be King of Hueco Mundo.

Not delving into the matter any further, Ulquiorra went to his bed, before crawling in. Tomorrow, he would find out where his allegiances lay.

**The next day...**

**Ulquiorra's eyes fluttered open, narrowing when he saw that it was dark in his room. It was then that the events of yesterday crashed down upon him, forcing him to remember that he changed the time of day. He pulled the covers back, a pale white, just like the rest of Las Noches, before getting out of the bed. He walked to the closet, not surprised in the least when all of his outfits matched the current one he had changed yesterday. **

**He grabbed one at random, before putting it on, discarding the sleeping pants into the laundry chute. He walked over to Murcielago, which was located at the desk on the opposite side of the room as his bed. He put it through the loop on his outfit where zanpaku-to were meant to go, except in Nnoitra's case. **

**Ulquiorra walked out, into the large battle portion of his tower. Unlike everyone else's, his contained a door to his personal quarters, the prison chambers, and nothing else. It was just large, and white, every inch illuminated. He walked across, the sound of his footsteps echoing all throughout the well-lit bare room. **

**Reaching the door, Ulquiorra pushed it open seemingly effortlessly, despite the fact that it was roughly 25 feet tall. He walked out, not even fazed when the moonlight shone on the ground. He shut the door behind him, walking towards the tower of Espada 1, Coyote Starrk, and his Fraccion, Lilynette.**

**It took him roughly 15 minutes to get there, seeing as the fourth Espada Tower and 1st Espada tower were only separated by two others. He knocked once on the door, sighing when he heard nothing. He was about to turn and leave, when his ears picked up a faint yelling. Then a loud crash and even louder yelling. **

"**You lazy idiot! Get up and answer the door! It's the freakin' King of Hueco Mundo!" Lilynette's voice could be heard. Ulquiorra almost made a faint smile, almost. Within a few moments, the door opened to reveal a very sleepy Starrk. "Hello, Ulquiorra. What can I do for you?" He asked, pausing in the middle to yawn. **

"**I would like to know of your relationship with Baraggan." Ulquiorra stated, watching for anything that might give away how Starrk was feeling about him. "Umm...him and I are friends, why?" Starrk asked, scratching his head. Ulquiorra calmly asked, "He intends to begin a war within Las Noches for control of the throne. May I count on your support and aid if I require it?"**

**Starrk's eyes widened, before he furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm not sure...May I have a bit to ponder it?" He asked, yawning again. Ulquiorra already knew by now that Starrk would most likely just go back to sleep, but didn't really care. Ulquiorra nodded, before saying, "Very well. I would like an answer as soon as possible." He turned to leave then, the next person he was to see was Tia Halibel. She and he were on decent terms, so it shouldn't be a problem. **

**Walking up to her door, he knocked. The door flew open, with a red-looking Mila-Rose standing there, glaring, before realizing who it was. "Oh, I'm sorry Schiffer-sama. I'll go get Tia right away. "With that, she slammed the door. Within a moment, he heard a scream for the Tercera Espada, Tia Halibel, walked to the door. She crossed her arms underneath her breasts, before asking, "Is there anything I can do for you?" **

**Ulquiorra nodded, noticing how little Tia's uniform covered. He didn't let this distract him, however, as he stated, "Baraggan Louisenbarn is planning on a war breaking out for control of the throne." Tia's eyes widened, before she sighed. "And I'm guessing you want me to back you up, correct?" **

**Ulquiorra nodded, stating, "I would very much appreciate it." Tia nodded, before saying, "Very well. Know that my allegiances lay with you. Now if you'll excuse me, I must stop the children back there from fighting. It seems Mila-Rose is attempting to cut Sun-sun's hair again." Tia sighed, before walking in, and saying, "Goodbye, Ulquiorra-sama." Ulquiorra nodded in response, before walking off. **

**Not feeling like dealing with Nnoitra right now, Ulquiorra opened up a Garganta. It was about time he paid the woman a visit.**


	3. Surprise!

**A/N: So...again, I was impressed with the reviews. Although they weren't as many as last time, they're still pretty good. So, it inspired me to write another chapter. Usually, I'd take a day to update my other stories, but I like where this is going. PLUS, this chapter is gonna be badass. Just sayin'...**

**Shout-Out's:**

S'laughterSalvadora: I'm not going to ruin the surprise now, but I think you'll be thoroughly satisfied with this chapter. 

RAHbooks: Yeah, that's what I meant. I think it was my spell-check that did that for some reason...

Hands in Red Paint: Yeah, I tried that out for this chapter, to make it less confusing. Like you suggested n' all. I have to say, I like it WAY better.

No Time For Cameras: Yeah, you're about to witness a beat-down that was WAY overdue. 

**Chapter 3: Surprise!**

Something was off. He wasn't sure what, but something told Ichigo Kurosaki that there was something wrong with today. There couldn't be, though, could there? After all, the Espada were all destroyed, Rukia was no longer in danger of being executed, Shusuke Amagai had taken his own life, and so none of those could be the problem. Then what was it?

Sighing, Ichigo tipped his chair back, looking out the window that belonged to his class. Today was an unusually gloomy day. There were clouds covering the sun, and they looked full of rain water. But that still wasn't it. Perhaps it was Urahara and Yoruichi planning something. If confronted about it, though, the creepy store manager would probably just laugh it off.

'Who, me? Now now, Ichigo, when did I ever plan anything and not tell you guys about it?' He could practically hear Urahara say, fanning himself, with Yoruichi nearby just nodding in agreement. Ichigo's eye twitched as he surveyed the scene. Those two...they were just so irritating. Why couldn't they ever be just upfront about everything?

Sighing again, he shifted his attention to the rest of the class, watching them, as there were some people taking notes, some doing their homework, and even one kid was picking his nose. Ichigo's eyes fell on a certain red-head, whose life was changed dramatically last fall. She had been the unfortunate victim of a cold-hearted killer, locked away in a cell, with no form of social interaction or way to know her friends were alright.

Ichigo's fist tightened without him knowing, as the thought of Ulquiorra made him angry. The man was powerful, without a doubt, but that did not give him the right to kidnap women and treat them like prisoners. , even if it was under somebody else's orders. Luckily, Ichigo had managed to defeat him. Even if he hadn't been his own self, Ulquiorra was still defeated. It was lucky that his hollow had interrupted when he did, too. Ichigo may not have made it, what with Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa being as powerful as it was.

Even still, Ichigo probably would have found some way to handle it. He didn't notice when the bell rang, still lost in thought. After a few moments, he heard a cough behind him, and turned to see who it was.

Leaning over him, was the very orange-haired princess herself, Orihime Inoue. Ichigo looked up to see her smiling. Although there was a smile on her face, he could see the deep sadness in her eyes. It was because he didn't get to Las Noches fast enough, Ichigo figured. He forced a smile back, still feeling guilty about her being kidnapped.

"Hi, Ichigo." She said a bit bashfully, not blushing like she would have last year.

"Uhh, hey, Orihime. What's up?" He asked, concern etching his features. He was curious. Lately, she was unsociable, taking shelter in her home after school rather than hanging out with her friends. It was weird, seeing as she was usually the bubbly one. Nobody expected her to have any sort of sadness lurking in her. It wasn't just sadness, but it looked as if she had lost something, something valuable.

Ichigo couldn't help but be reminded of Ulquiorra's last moments, when he had thought he found the heart. This phrase, to this day, still confused him. Was he talking about Orihime, or the feeling?

"Well, I was wondering, if...I...umm..." Orihime started, her face growing red as she poked her fingers together. Ichigo just stared at her flatly, waiting for some sort of question or something. Orihime lowered her head so her hair covered her face, before saying, "I was wondering if I could hang out with you guys after school." She sucked in a large lungful of air, having talked quite fast to get it out.

One of Ichigo's eyebrows slowly rose, before he shrugged. "Yeah, fine. I don't care." He said, before standing. "Well, I'm supposed to meet everyone else outside. So...let's go I guess." Ichigo said a bit awkwardly, grabbing his books and walking outside, to where Chad and Rukia were standing.

"Yo', Chad, Rukia. Where's Uryuu?" Ichigo asked, raising his hand in greeting. Chad stood passively, his curly brown hair covering one eye, while Rukia looked a little more intense.

"He's got that sewing class today." Chad said in his deep monotonous voice. Ichigo nodded, forgetting Orihime was behind him.

"Hello Kuchiki-san, Sado-san." She said, trying to bright up. She waved as she greeted Rukia and Chad, a large smile on her face. This reminded her a lot of last year, when it was just them four, plus Uryuu, of course. "So...what do you usually do after school?" Orihime asked, truly curious. She hadn't been talking to them very much.

"We usually go to Kisuke Urahara's." Rukia said, turning on her heel. "Ichigo can't seem to be satisfied with all that power he has." She added, dryly. Ichigo's mouth fell open, before he started yelling back.

"Well, it's not my fault I want to protect my friends!" He yelled, walking up behind her. He put his hand on her shoulder, which was a big mistake. Out of pure reflex, Rukia turned halfway and managed to kick him on the face.

"Watch what you're doing, idiot!" Ichigo yelled, a large purple bruise forming on his forehead. This only seemed to infuriate Rukia even more.

"Now now, can't we try to get along?" Orihime asked, trying to smile and break the small squabble apart.

"Well, you shouldn't have tried coming up to me with my back turned! You know what some of my reflexes are!" Rukia yelled, which caused Ichigo, in turn, to go red in the face, a dirty thought crossing his mind.

"Oh...not that way!" Rukia yelled, throwing her backpack at him, hitting him square in the face. Exasperated, Ichigo sighed in defeat, before looking ahead.

"What the...? A Garganta?" He asked incredulously, knowing that only Arrancar and Mayuri Kurotsuchi could do that. His eyes widened when he saw a single foot step out, not at all like the traditional Shinigami haori, or even the Captain's robe. It was too form-fitting, and like the reverse of the haori. As the foot stepped in the air, Ichigo's eyes widened further when he saw the pale face with the green-colored streaks on it. Even though he was withholding it, Ichigo could easily tell who that reiatsu belonged to.

"Ulquiorra!" He snarled, glaring at him. Ulquiorra looked around for a moment, looking at his scenery, before noticing Ichigo yelling his name.

"Oh...it's you again." He said, frowning slightly. Honestly, he had expected Ichigo to be killed by Gin or Aizen, seeing as Tosen would probably fight the wolf-man, Komamura, since he talked about him so much. But, apparently it was not to be. "I figured you would have died. Perhaps luck saved you again." He said hollowly, his gaze roving around each of the people standing before him, before it finally stopped at Orihime.

"Woman, I wish to have a word with you." He said. Only the most perceptive of people would notice that his voice held a softness it hadn't before. Orihime, on the other hand, seemed rooted to the spot. He wasn't dead...? This thought kept replaying through her mind over and over and over.

"Like hell you will!" Ichigo shouted, pulling his spirit from the Gigai, and charging at Ulquiorra. Last time they had fought, Ulquiorra had had the upper hand, but this was ridiculous. It actually seemed as if Ichigo was moving slowly. Ulquiorra moved to the side when Ichigo's zanpaku-to was raised above his head, chopping down.

While Ichigo tried to recover, Ulquiorra used this moment to attack himself. He slammed his fist into Ichigo's chest not hard enough to break anything, but hard enough to send him flying back a few yards.

Ichigo got up, holding his chest, gasping for air. Ulquiorra really didn't want to hurt anyone that was close to Orihime, especially if he was to talk to her at all without her hating him. He used sonido to appear next to her, standing directly behind her. "I do not wish to hurt your friends, woman. So tell Kurosaki to stand down."

Orihime was rooted to the spot by fear, not even blinking an eye before Ulquiorra was behind her. She shivered slightly, which turned into a trembling as Ulquiorra walked around to look into her eyes. What he saw shocked him. He saw fear. Pure, unadulterated fear. For some reason, it caused a pain in his chest, the kind he would never be able to describe. Not in a million years. He turned around in time to see Ichigo charging at him again.

Thinking quickly, Ulquiorra grabbed Orihime, pulled her against him, and walked back a few steps. Although she was deathly afraid of him, Orihime couldn't help the blush that dusted her cheeks. Ulquiorra let go of her, and stepped back.

"Very well, Kurosaki. If you wish, we can fight." Ulquiorra said emotionlessly. Of course, he wouldn't kill him. Because that would hurt Orihime, and for some reason, he got this odd feeling whenever a negative emotion crossed her face.

Ichigo smirked, before running at Ulquiorra, raising his zanpaku-to as soon as he was in front of him. "Getsuga Tensho!" He yelled, bringing the zanpaku-to down in an arc, a wave of black energy flying from the blade, also in an arc-like fashion. Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed slightly. He remembered this attack very well. It was similar to Kisuke Urahara's own technique in his shikai. Ulquiorra remembered blocking it when Kisuke sent it to Yammy, potentially killing him.

Ulquiorra wasn't nearly as surprised when he noticed that the wave seemed slower, also. In fact, everything seemed to move slower to him. He put his left hand in his pocket, before he shoved his right hand into the thick of it, splitting a path down the middle so it went around him. Ichigo raised his head, not too surprised that he managed to not get hurt, but slightly astonished that Ulquiorra could split right through, with what appeared to be minimal damage.

Ulquiorra inspected his hand, finding it not burnt or damaged in the slightest. Before, when he would have tried blocking the Getsuga Tensho, he would be able to feel the pressure pushing on his hand, but couldn't at all this time.

"Fine, if none of that will work, then I'll just have to do this." He shouted, thrusting his zanpaku-to in front of him. "Bankai! Tensa Zangetsu!" Immediately, a black cloak-like wear appeared on him, the bottom torn up. His zanpaku-to had become far slimmer, becoming completely black. "Now die!" He yelled, which merely caused Ulquiorra to sigh.

Ichigo disappeared in the blink of an eye, not even fazing Ulquiorra. Ichigo appeared behind Ulquiorra, zanpaku-to at his side, before he quickly tried slashing Ulquiorra vertically. Ulquiorra pulled out his own zanpaku-to, Murcielago. With a flick of his wrist, he deflected Ichigo's own attack, before hitting him in the stomach with the dull side of his zanpaku-to.

Ichigo held his gut for a moment, before straightening up angrily. "Damnit, that's it. Now you need to die!" He put his hand over his face, seemingly pulling something down. As he did, a mask started visualizing where his hand was pulling, as if he were pulling a mask over his face. Ulquiorra held his zanpaku-to at the ready, waiting for Ichigo to attack.

Ichigo, in a quick burst of speed, ran to Ulquiorra. He raised his zanpaku-to, and was about to strike, Ulquiorra's own already raised to deflect it, before they heard a scream.

"Stop it, both of you!" Orihime shouted, staring at them. She turned to Ichigo, before saying, "He already said he meant us no harm, now why can't you just quit attacking him for a moment?" She asked angrily.

Ichigo was at a loss for words, before narrowing his eyes. "Fine, I'll leave you with this-this monster." He spat in disgust. He disappeared without a trace, leaving Rukia to slap her hand to her face, and Chad to sigh.

"I'll go find him, try and calm him down..." Rukia said, before she started running off in the direction Ichigo's house was at. Chad merely stood still, for a moment, before saying,

"I'll accompany her." He knew it was a bad idea to leave those two alone, but it was obvious to Chad, if no one else, that Ulquiorra could have probably defeated Ichigo fairly quickly. After all, had Ichigo landed even one hit on Ulquiorra? No, and to top it off, Ulquiorra landed a few on Ichigo. Chad still didn't trust him, but he knew that Ulquiorra wasn't here to cause trouble.

"Woman..." Ulquiorra began, averting his green eyes as he came back to the ground from her own brown eyes, before saying, "I think we should talk." His green eyes flicked to hers for a moment. What was that, nervousness? Was Ulquiorra, the Arrancar representing Emptiness, really nervous. The thought amazed Orihime.

"Orihime." She said, which caused Ulquiorra to look up directly into her eyes, shocked to find there was no hatred or ill-feelings. "My name is Orihime Inoue. You may call me Orihime." She clarified, waiting to see if Ulquiorra cared enough to call her by her first name.

"Orihime...I would like to talk to you..." Ulquiorra said, a little bit hesitantly. Orihime's face turned a little bit red, which was clearly visible to Ulquiorra, but other than that she made no move for a moment.

"Alright. We'll get you a Gigai from Kisuke Urahara, and then we can talk over coffee." Orihime said brightly, smiling at Ulquiorra. She wasn't too sure why she was, in fact, she thought she should hate him for keeping her locked up. But, for some reason she couldn't understand, she could not find any hate towards him, not even bitterness. Ulquiorra nodded, which made Orihime smile.

"Alright, this way!" She said cheerfully, grabbing Ulquiorra's hand and dragging him to Urahara's, much to Ulquiorra's amazement.


	4. Confrontation

**A/N: So...I apologize for the late update. I've been dealing with the loss of my Great-Grandmother and haven't found the inspiration. After reading some stuff from the Bleach Wiki, I found my inspiration to write again. (Plus, this AWESOME game, Bioshock 2, REALLY helped. It gave me a good idea...)**

**Shout Out's:**

Hands in Red Paint: Yeah, for some reason, when I put the chapter's on Fanfiction, it likes to underline and/or bold things for me for no reason. :/

SayHelloSunshine: Thank ye'. :)

RAHbooks: Thanks. I don't feel I did too well on the talk, but I don't think it was too bad, at the same time. Your reviews are one of the ones I look forward to the most.

Kohryu: Yup, that's the hot-headed ginger for ya'. If you were to ask Orihime or Ulquiorra, it's not a date, but between you and I, it TOTALLY is. Although Ulquiorra would probably refer to it as a "business meeting".

No Time For Cameras: Oh, and I forgot to mention, there WILL be one later, WAY better than the one from last chapter. You'll see. :P It'll result in tragedy. But shh, you didn't hear it from me. 

**Chapter 4: Confrontation**

Ulquiorra looked down at his body, no longer in his modified Espada outfit, but rather, in a gigai made by Kisuke Urahara. Kisuke had even gone as far as to get some clothes for the Espada King, giving him a plain black t-shirt, blue denim jeans, socks, a pair of regular shoes, (Not to get technical, but they were Asics. Sorry, Converse fans.) a white jacket, and of course, underwear. At first, Kisuke had tried getting him to wear a g-string, saying it would "attract women", while stifling laughter. Ulquiorra saw straight through the ploy to embarrass him and declined.

He sighed, slumping his shoulders, not exited at walking around town where nearly everyone could see him. Unfortunately, the gigai had scars running down the eyes, mimicking his green tear-tracks. Ulquiorra felt weird without the remains of his hollow mask, which the gigai was able to cover up, amazingly. He repeatedly kept touching his head, expecting to feel it there, getting less and less surprised to find it was not.

"What are you doing, woman?" he asked, stopping as he noticed Orihime staring into a glass window. They were in the shopping district, less than a block away from the nearest public coffee shop. Orihime, surprised, snapped to attention.

"Oh, sorry, I was looking at...umm, these!" She lied, pointing to the store right next to it. Little did she know WHAT kind of store she was pointing at.

"Adult Sex Toys...?" Ulquiorra asked, seeing straight through her lies. Orihime went red, and silently walked forward, leading the way to the coffee shop.

They didn't stop until they were there, Orihime staying silent and blushing the whole way. Ulquiorra noted how all of these humans were attracted by the minor scars on his face, some staring with disgust, others with disdain or sympathy. Pathetic, how they were all so narrow-minded, not even questioning whether he was born with it, almost certain he gained it through some sort of pain.

Orihime walked somewhere to his right, causing him to look over. Ulquiorra realized they were at the coffee shop, the time seeming to have flown by. He walked in wordlessly, seeing the woman already sitting at a table, pointing at the spot across from her. Ulquiorra hesitantly slid into the booth, twining his fingers together and setting them on the table.

"So there was something we needed to talk about?" Orihime asked, curiously. Ulquiorra breathed a sigh, before answering.

"I want you to come back to Hueco Mundo with me." He said. He noticed the flicker of fear pass through Orihime's eyes.

"W-What?" She asked, stuttering, seeming to shrink back in her booth. Ulquiorra, being as perceptive as he was, caught the reason why immediately.

"Willingly, of course. I won't force you this time." He said, causing the High-School Girl across from him to breath a sigh of relief.

"Why?" She asked, before turning. Ulquiorra noticed the waitress there. At first, she seemed shocked about the scars, but then a coy smile came across her lips.

"Anything I can get you?" She asked, putting her arms down, pushing out her breasts, which seemed to nearly pop out of her revealing top. Ulquiorra couldn't help but wonder, was this a sort of mating thing? He knew women did it when they wanted a man sexually, but did that mean...? Ulquiorra pretended not to notice, looking at the menu. Orihime, on the other hand, was glaring at the woman with her lips pulled into a pout.

"I would like a coffee, ma'am." Orihime said, still glaring at the woman, who flicked her eyes to Ulquiorra, before asking,

"Is that ALL I can get you?" She pushed out her breasts a little bit more, which looked as if they were unable to take the strain. Ulquiorra felt sick. It should be degrading to women everywhere to wear such revealing, skimpy clothing. He pretended not to notice again. He did, however, notice when she "dropped" her note pad. She bent over, as slowly as she could, which earned a snort from Ulquiorra.

"Woman, I know what you're doing. I am not interested." He said briefly, before flicking his eyes back to the menu. "The woman over here would like French Roast, three spoons of sugar, and one spoonful of cream." He said, before adding, "Now, if you would like management to not receive a complaint about your performance, I suggest you get started."

The waitress' mouth fell open, before she shook her head, composing herself. Apparently this man wasn't interested, so she'd pretend not to care. It was obvious, however, that she did. Ulquiorra instantly knew she was one of the popular women at her school, one who thought she could obtain any man. "Fine. Order'll be out soon." She said grudgingly, glaring at Orihime, before leaving.

Orihime's own mouth was open. Not only could he resist Aya Takizawa's charm, but he knew on the dot what she liked in her coffee. Orihime got over her initial shock, seeing Ulquiorra in a different light, slightly.

"So...will you come?" Ulquiorra asked absently, staring out the window at the birds. Orihime snapped herself out of her reverie, thinking for a moment.

"Why?" She asked, earning an odd look from Ulquiorra.

"Because, I thought I'd found the heart. But...it seems...I'd lost it when I died. I want you to help me find it again." Ulquiorra said, turning back in the window. His pale face had a faint rosy hue to it. He thought the sunlight on it was what was burning, but little did he know he was blushing. Orihime knew the heart wasn't an object, but had explained it so many times, she didn't even bother starting that conversation again.

"Well...MAYBE. But instead of me staying, wouldn't it be easier if I were to just visit?" Orihime asked, which earned a quick reply.

"Although it doesn't seem it, if we use the Garganta more than once a day, it takes a heavy toll on our body." Ulquiorra answered, glancing at the waitress as she brought the coffee, who in turn looked away.

Orihime thought for a moment, before slowly saying, "MAYBE if it was only a couple of days at a time..." Ulquiorra nodded, which prompted her to continue. "AND, I wish to have a bodyguard at all time." Ulquiorra nodded again, which caused Orihime to add another two things to the list. "And I want better food, AND a room that I can decorate."

Ulquiorra felt a headache coming on, but nonetheless, he accepted. These were all small things in comparison to what she was helping him find. At least, he thought anyway. He had everything figured out. Either himself, or possibly one of Tia's Fracciones would accompany her through Las Noches, and they would share a room. He didn't care whether she decorated it, so long as she left the tower itself alone. He liked combating people in there. It was a secluded area, made out of some of the toughest metal, allowing him to release a Cero Obscuras without destroying the wall.

The food, however, was a different story. Usually, Yammy oversaw the chef's, telling them how to cook things. That would have to chance. Yammy had terrible taste in food. After all, when he got hungry enough he DID eat sand. So that could also be arranged.

"Very well." he said, picking up a packet of sugar, reading the ingredients.

"Alright! I'd also like to tell Ichigo, Rukia, Uryu, and Chad about this, so if you'll wait a moment..." She said, fishing out her cell-phone from her pocket. She toyed with it for about a half an hour, before looking up. "Done." The moment she said that, an apathetic-looking Chad walked into the shop. He walked over, before saying,

"Hello, Orihime." He turned to Ulquiorra, who stood up non-threateningly. He stuck out his hand formally, introducing himself.

"Ulquiorra Schifer." He said, shaking Chad's hand, when Chad grasped the other man's.

"Yasutora Sado. My friends call me Chad." he said, sitting down beside Orihime. Within ten minutes, Uryu walked in, who nodded his head coldly at Ulquiorra, before sitting down next to Chad.

"Where are Rukia and Ichigo supposed to sit?" Chad asked. The booth was in the corner, and currently Ulquiorra was on the outside. Orihime was in the middle, with Chad and Uryu to her right, leaving a lot of space between her and Ulquiorra. "Because, no offense intended, but they won't be thrilled to sit next to Ulquiorra." Chad added in his deep baritone.

Orihime turned red, before scooting closer to Ulquiorra. She scooted a little too close, as in a moment, she was practically pressing herself into him. She squeaked, before moving back a little bit. "Careful, Orihime. Remember, this guy kidnapped you." Uryu said grudgingly. It was obvious he had a crush on her, to Ulquiorra at least.

Orihime looked down, ashamed. "But also, let's not forget, you're the terrible friend who let her be kidnapped." Ulquiorra retorted, staring Uryu in the eye. Uryu's eyes widened in shock as a look of guilt passed over his face. Satisfied, Ulquiorra looked to the door, seeing the sunlight flash off of it across the wall, meaning someone had opened it.

Ichigo and Rukia walked in, the small raven-haired woman leading the way. Ichigo glared at Ulquiorra, noticing Uryu's guilty look. They both sat down next to him, Ichigo never taking his eyes off of Ulquiorra.

"Yeah? What is it?" he asked, straight to the point. Orihime began poking her fingers together, looking at Ichigo from underneath her bangs.

"Well... I agreed to go back to Las Noches every few days to help with something..." Orihime said. Needless to say, everyone was shocked, Uryu and Ichigo even being outraged. Even Chad's eyes widened, slipping out of his stoic facade. Ichigo stood up, glaring.

"No, you can't go. Remember what happened last time?" He practically shouted, attracting the attention of nearly everyone in the cafe. Ulquiorra's eyebrow twitched, as he also stood.

"She is a woman, and can make her own decisions." He said, prompting a glare from Ichigo.

"What if she gets hurt again?" Ichigo asked incredulously, turning back to Orihime.

"Are you saying she is unable to take care of herself?" Ulquiorra asked quietly. He knew it was dirty and low to pressure Orihime like that, knowing her greatest fear was being useless and powerless. Ulquiorra, however, wouldn't let some red-headed punk stop him from finding the heart.

Ichigo looked down, clearly defeated. "Fine..." he muttered. Ulquiorra nodded, turning to Orihime.

"Very well, it's decided. You are coming with me. Pack your bags, woman. We leave tomorrow."

**ANOTHER A/N: So...I just wanted to say, thank you all for the awesome reviews. I'm going to put my favorite reviewers down here, to maybe motivate some of you to try and make the list.**

**To Time For Cameras, Hands in Red Paint, RAHbooks, S'laughterSalvadora, **


	5. Blood Feud

**A/N: Well, I've been getting a little lazy lately...so I've decided each night, I'm going to write a bit, whether I want to or not. That way, your updates will come faster. But, I apologize for the late Chapter...although I never DID set a specific date...**

**But anyway, I'm going into a bit of humor for this part of the story, so let me know what you think all. Reviews ARE appreciated. They keep me inspired.**

**Shout-Out's:**

RyumaOmega: I wouldn't really consider him the "God" of Hueco Mundo...just an entity, kind of like the one in Soul Society. And I appreciate the help, but I'm not going to change TOO much about Ulquiorra's Resureccion abilities. But, you'll see. :P

Artemiangel: Yeah, I'm using an older version of Microsoft Word, so it doesn't Spell-Check as well as the newer version. That's what I meant though, lol. And I understand where you're coming from. Me and my friends are all Word-Nazi's.

RAHbooks: Oh...I'm sorry. That your sister likes IshiHime, I mean. It was kind of to throw in a bit of drama later. But, you'll just have to wait and find out later. 

S'laughterSalvadora: True. But anyways, your request has been granted! We'll see a rougher side later on. I've got it ALL mapped out in my head...okay, maybe not, but it's rolling around there somewhere. It's like Russian Roulette when I try to think of ideas. I never know what I might get. Whether it involves Ulquiorra being vicious, Orihime turning into a ho', Uryuu becoming a rapist, or zombie monkey's trying to eat their toe's, I cannot say yet. 

**Chapter 5: Blood Feud**

Ulquiorra stood at the door of the moderate-sized apartment that belonged to Orihime Inoue. She was packing up some of her things for the weekend. She grabbed clothes, and a towel, before thinking for a moment.

"Do they actually have showers in Las Noches...? Well, then again, how would Szayelaporro's hair stay so well-managed? Then again, he does do the creepy science thing...wait! Grimmjow! He takes showers! I've seen him once when it was still wet. And he definitely didn't smell like sweat...oh, what to do!" Orihime said to herself, turning when she heard a cough. She hadn't realized Ulquiorra was still standing there, waiting on her, hand pressed to his lips to prevent germs from spreading. She turned red, realizing he had caught her talking to herself.

"There are showers in Las Noches." He said briefly, bringing his hand down from his lips and putting it back in his pocket. Orihime nodded, turning so he wouldn't see that the color of her face matched the color of her hair. She hastily put her clothes in the bag, before swallowing the saliva that had accumulated in her mouth. Panties. That's what she needed next, but Ulquiorra was right there. She didn't want to ask him to go away, because that would seem rude, but...

Orihime turned, pretending to look past Ulquiorra. "Look! A bunny!" She yelled, pointing out past him. Ulquiorra moved his green eyes from the bag back to Orihime, not giving any of his inner emotions away, provided he had any. Orihime continued pointing out behind him, starting to sweat, knowing he had seen past her charade.

Sucking in a large breath that she didn't know she had held in, Orihime fell on the floor, arms pointed directly in front of her, thinking.

"I'll leave you alone to get your underwear for a moment." Ulquiorra said casually, walking out of the room, shutting the screen behind him. Unlike most other houses in Karakura, Orihime's retained a bit of feudalism, keeping shojitsu screens rather than doors. Ulquiorra walked into the kitchen, lifting up a pot of tea, inspecting it. If he was going to be staying the night there, then he might as well get used to the appliances.

He set it back down, going back to the screen. He stood there for a moment, listening to the rustling of clothes, thinking about the heart. He had had it in his hand, but it seems he lost it again. But how? Did you lose it when you died, or was it there for only a certain amount of time?

"Woman. I am using your shower." He said authoritatively, before walking to her restroom. He heard her yell "Okay.", but other than that, she was silent. Ulquiorra walked over to the shower, dropping his clothes. He didn't really need a shower yet, but cleanliness was next to godliness, in his opinion.

After washing himself, Ulquiorra got out of the shower, standing there naked. It was then he realized that there weren't any towels there. Odd. Hadn't there been towels before he got in?

"Woman, your towels are all gone." He called, standing there. He would have his hands in his pockets, but that's kind of hard when you don't have any, so they just hung limply at his sides.

"Coming!" He heard Orihime call, her voice growing louder. The door flew open all of a sudden, Orihime standing there, holding out the towel, her other hand on her hips. She hadn't realized he was already out of the shower. Her smirking face turned into one of shock, as she stared...and stared...and stared some more. Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow at her, grabbing the towel slowly. He wrapped it around his waist, muttering a thank you. Orihime fell back, frozen in that position. Ulquiorra looked over, noticing blood coming from her nose.

Her once-virgin eyes were staring off into the distance, her arm still outstretched to hand the towel to him. Ulquiorra shrugged, picking her up. He walked into her room, before tossing her onto her bed, none too gently either. He flicked the light switch off, shutting the screen behind him.

Ulquiorra walked to the bathroom, putting his clothes back on now that he was dry, no longer needing the towel. He discarded the towel, tossing it into the hamper, before redressing. Ulquiorra went outside, walking around the block seeing as he didn't want to make her couch wet, since his hair was still wet. After twenty minutes of walking, Ulquiorra came back to the house, walking straight to the couch, laying on his back. He entwined his fingers together, closing his eyes.

The next morning, Orihime woke up with a painful gasp. Her head hurt like crazy. She looked around, wondering why her room was so trashed, before remembering the events of the passed few days. Then, the last image came flooding in, seeing Ulquiorra naked. Orihime's nose started bleeding as she started daydreaming a bit. She shook her head, standing up. Wiping off the blood, Orihime took a step towards the door, before hearing a loud thump.

Alarmed, Orihime threw open the japanese screen door, ready for any intruders with a fist pulled back. She saw that Ulquiorra was standing there, a dazed Uryuu on the floor. "What happened?" She demanded, rushing over to help Uryuu. Ulquiorra retained his apathetic demeanor, saying,

"I thought he was a burglar." Orihime looked into his hands and noticed a bent-up golf club.

"So you hit me? I was only coming to say goodbye! Don't you Arrancar have something that allows you to tell who's who based on their spiritual pressure?" Uryuu demanded. Although he wouldn't show it, he was loving the attention Orihime was giving him. Ulquiorra gripped the golf club with both hands, bending it back into shape.

"You forget, I am in a Gigai. Unfortunately, I cannot use any of my Arrancar abilities while in this flesh-suit." Ulquiorra said, putting the golf-club back in the umbrella holder and putting his hands in his pocket. Uryuu didn't say anything after that, prompting an awkward silence. "Are you ready, woman?" Ulquiorra asked, turning to Orihime. Orihime straightened up in surprise, before nodding.

"Yes. Are we leaving so soon?" She called out, rushing to her bedroom to get her things.

"Yes." Ulquiorra said, before he used his reiatsu to "push" himself out of the Gigai, so to speak. The Gigai's eyeballs rolled up into its head, falling to the ground. Ulquiorra waited for Orihime, before opening the door.

"Goodbye, Uryuu. I'll be back on Sunday." She said, bowing to him, before rushing out after Ulquiorra. Uryuu just stared in shock. So she really thought that they could trust the Cuarto Espada, eh? Well, he'd just have to show them how untrustworthy he really was.

Ulquiorra stopped walking when they were in front of the school, he looked at it, before sighing. He grabbed Orihime, jumping up on top of the roof, before continuing into the air. He tapped the air for a second, before a ripping sound was heard. Orihime had gone red by the fact that Ulquiorra had abruptly grabbed her, memories of last night rushing to her head.

Ulquiorra walked into the Garganta, emerging into Las Noches on the other side. He set Orihime down, giving her a moment to get her bearings, before walking off again. Orihime was slightly dazed, remembering all of the bad memories as she followed Ulquiorra, not noticing when he stopped.

"Ulquiorra...I've been waiting for you. Looks like you got the girl back, huh?" She heard a rough, familiar voice say. Her eyes widened in recognition, a single thought passing through her mind. _Grimmjow._

_"So...I hear you're fighting against Baraggan." He started, his bright blue eyes locked onto Ulquiorra's own dark green. Ulquiorra nodded, giving him permission to continue. Grimmjow's arrogant grin faltered a bit. As if he needed permission from Ulquiorra. "I want in." He stated bluntly. _

_"I don't care who wins, I just want to fight. Plus, Baraggan's cockiness has been getting on my nerves." He said, grinning, not realizing that statement made him a hypocrite. He cracked his knuckles, his grin back on his face. Ulquiorra was shocked. Grimmjow was fighting on his side? Of all the Espada besides Baraggan himself, he had figured Grimmjow would fight against him. Grimmjow clearly wasn't smart enough to have some ulterior motive, so was it that he hated Baraggan more than he did Ulquiorra. _

_Shrugging, Ulquiorra nodded. Grimmjow stuck out his hand abruptly. Ulquiorra slowly reached over, and grasped it. When Grimmjow applied pressure, Ulquiorra did the same, intent on not being shown up by the aggressive Arrancar. Grimmjow's grin increased as he nodded, letting go. "We're going to fuck them up. But as soon as this thing's over..." he said, grinning at Ulquiorra. _

_"I want a fight." he finished, to which Ulquiorra nodded. Grimmjow was expendable. He was only the sixth Espada, after all. Luckily, he would get killed in the middle of killing another Espada, resulting in two deaths so Ulquiorra wouldn't have to fight him later. But if not, then obliterating the Sixth Espada was no big feat. _

_"Very well." He said, putting his hand back in his pocket, walking forward. "Come, woman." He called. Orihime, who had thought she had been forgotten, came out of her reverie, walking after him, sending a nervous glance towards Grimmjow, before walking faster to catch up. _


	6. Sowing Seeds of War

**A/N: God, do I love you guys. I think if you guys keep reviewing like this, the story could possibly end with around forty chapters. But seriously, I estimate this story will have anywhere from 20 to 40 chapters. Provided my chapters stay the same length, of course. Well, without further ado, time for the review acknowledgements.**

**Shout-Out's:**

No Time For Cameras: Yes, I guarantee something unfortunate will happen. I wanted to write out a pissed off Ulquiorra anyway, sometime. 

Artemiangel: WELL, Orihime actually found it among her deceased parents things. She found a burglar once, beat him with it, so since then it's been used for intruders. lol

RAHbooks: Thanks. I was kinda nervous about the humor thing. I have to admit, I was cracking up a bit when I was imagining Ulquiorra standing there with a bent-up gold club, and Uryuu on the ground. And also, about Uryuu trying to dig up dirt on Ulquiorra... ~_I think I smell drama ahead~_

**Chapter 6: Sewing The Seeds Of War**

Ulquiorra opened the door to his tower, lights flickering on, thanks to the motion sensors. Orihime looked around, noticing it was just a large, white space. But, it was impossibly large, was the thing. Judging by the outside, there was no way that there could be this much space inside.

"Things are not always as they seem." Ulquiorra said, noticing her looking around. There didn't even seem to be any doors, save for the one they just entered. Ulquiorra walked straight to the middle. Halfway through the trip, he had decided she would probably want her own room, and so would comply.

Reaching the end of the tower, Orihime noticed there were three black dots on the wall, lined up horizontally. Ulquiorra touched the one farthest to the left. The dot opened up, revealing it to be a door, that when the button is pushed, the panel slides up and reveals a room. Ulquiorra stepped to the side, watching Orihime's reaction.

"This will be your room. My room is in the middle, and the shower is on the far right. If you need anything, knock on the door, and then enter." Ulquiorra said, turning. Orihime nodded, about to walk in, before asking,

"What about the one to protect me?" Ulquiorra stopped, turning to look at Orihime out of the corner of his eye, his hands in his pockets.

"That will be me." He said, before pushing the button and walking into his own room. Right before he walked in, he said, "Come and get me when you're done. I have matters to attend to, and I do not wish to leave you alone." Ulquiorra walked into his room. The door closing reminded Orihime of one of those nerdy Sci-Fi movies she heard of young children watching. She turned, and walked into her room, looking around.

It was enormous, to say the least. The bed was four times the size of a king-sized bed, the dresser covered about a fourth of the wall, there was a desk off to one side of the room, multiple books on a shelf right next to it, another black dot on the empty side of the room, and a large bedside table. Orihime sat her things on the large bed, walking to the drawers and pulling them open. Inside was a white outfit much like the one she had worn before, with a red stripe across the chest, much like the green stripe across Ulquiorra's own.

Orihime sighed, pulling out her undergarments to get those done with and put away first, so there was less of a chance of Ulquiorra coming in with them in her hands. A few moments later, she heard a sweet, soft sound seemingly coming from the wall. She put the shirt she had been about to put in one of the drawers on the bed, walking over and pressing her ear to the wall. It was unmistakably a violin. It was a very sweet sound with a melancholy edge to it, the song played expertly. Orihime walked to where the door was in her room, pushing the black dot. It slid in a little bit, before the door opened. Orihime walked over to Ulquiorra's, pressing her ear against the door.

She listened for a moment, hearing it even more clearly. It was obvious it wasn't from a radio, so he must have been playing the instrument himself. Orihime heard a click, before the door opened. Her ear must have pushed the button.

She stood there, frozen, as if there were still a door there. Ulquiorra stopped playing, looking at Orihime oddly. "I thought I told you to kno-" He started, but was quickly interrupted.

"I'm sorry! I was just listening, and then my ear hit the button, and now you're probably a little angry, but I'm really sorry!" She said, sucking in a huge breath, about to continue, before Ulquiorra held a hand up, silencing her.

"I understand that it was an accident. The song was about finished, anyway." he said, raising the bow back to the violin. "You may come in and listen, since you're so interested." He added, voice ever emotionless, before resuming the song. Orihime walked over to his bed and sat there, listening. Ulquiorra's eyes were closed, not so much in concentration, but that he was listening to the music he was playing, various images, thoughts, and feeling flickering through his mind.

He never knew why, but every time he played the violin, it was as if he were somewhere else, as someone else. Perhaps it was the man who he had been before becoming a Hollow.

After five more minutes, Ulquiorra played one last note, letting it fade, as he slowly let down the violin and bow. He put it away in the case, before standing up straight. Orihime looked lost in thought, something he rarely saw on this girls features.

"Woman. I have business to take care of." He ordered, walking to the door. Orihime stood up abruptly, causing her to lose balance and fall back down onto the bed she had been sitting on. Orihime got back up again, although more slowly. She followed him back into his tower. Ulquiorra led her outside, where he proceeded to walk.

Orihime looked up, noticing the moon. It was a lot different than the moon she had seen while she was there. The other one had glowed brightly, being a crescent usually, once being a perfectly round sphere. This moon was an orange color, a perfect circle. This moon was dull, and very un-lively, much like Ulquiorra himself.

Orihime clasped her hands in front of her as she was walking, staring at all of the Arrancar they would pass. Some Arrancar would see her, and grin like maniacs, or make some sort of facial expression which clearly expressed their want to kill her. Then, they would catch sight of Ulquiorra, and continue walking as if nothing happened. Ulquiorra, of course, saw all of these, but pretended not to. It didn't concern him unless they actually took action, after all.

After a half an hour of walking, they reached a large set of double doors. Ulquiorra pushed the double doors open, revealing a meeting room with eleven chairs total. Five on each side of the long table, and then one at the head. In those seats were Zommari, Nnoitra, Szayelaporro, Aaroniero, Grimmjow, and Yammy. They were the only ones who were called, because Ulquiorra knew the stances of the other three Espada on this topic.

Ulquiorra walked to the head of the table, sitting down. He motioned to a chair to his right for Orihime. She noticed it was Grimmjow she was sitting next to, and instantly felt relieved for some reason.

"I trust you have all heard of the impending rebellion that is brewing in Las Noches." Ulquiorra stated, watching everyone's reactions, besides Aaroniero's, before continuing. "Well, I plan on keeping the throne, and I must know where your allegiances lay."

Ulquiorra waited patiently for someone to speak up. In moments, they heard a snort off to his right, where Grimmjow was sitting. "You already know who's side I'm on. It's time to knock the geezer down a notch." Grimmjow said, glaring at the others, before adding, "And to hell with the rest of you. Join us, or die against us. "

Ulquiorra nodded, saying, "Well spoken." After a few tense minutes, another hand rose and spoke up.

"I am willing to join you. After all, who knows what information I could glean from the second Espada." Szayelaporro said, a smirk on his features. Ulquiorra nodded, before looking at the rest. Zommari sat still, Aaroniero was also motionless, Yammy was thinking, and Nnoitra was glaring at Grimmjow.

"Ulquiorra...I think it's time you get knocked off of your high horse. I have to say, I'm with Baraggan on this one." Yammy said, which shocked quite a few in the room. It was well-known Yammy traveled with Ulquiorra whenever they made visits to the World of the Living, but nobody expected he would turn like this. "Now, I need to get back to my food." He said, pushing the doors open and walked out.

Ulquiorra, unfazed by this, turned back to the remaining few. "I must side with Baraggan on this. I like the way things were." Zommari said calmly, standing up and walking out.

Nnoitra sighed loudly, before saying, "Well, as long as I get to kill people, then I'm alright." He said, grinning like a mad man. All of the gazes turned towards Aaroniero, who was still sitting there.

"I will join them. I, too, liked how everything once was before Aizen showed up. " A robotic voice said from behind the mask, probably the result of both of the heads that made up Aaroniero talking at the same time.

Ulquiorra nodded, turning to the doors. "We have one more vote..." He said, before the doors opened. In walked a young girl, with a cracked cartoon-looking skull on her head, teal hair, and in a large green cloth. Behind here were two others, one a thin-looking man in a loincloth with a helmet shaped like a dog, the other resembling an Easter Island statue in a sense.

"We have come to join you!" Pesshei cried dramatically, putting one foot on the table, pointing at Ulquiorra.

Szayelaporro's eyes widened, while Nnoitra stood up abruptly, glaring at Nel. "What the hell is this?" He shouted, pointing at the small child-like woman, turning to Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra merely coolly replied, "The remaining Espada I had yet to ask." Nnoitra looked outraged.

"Well, if they're joining, then fuck this. I'm out." He yelled, standing up and stomping off, Santa Teresa resting on his shoulder. Ulquiorra turned back to Szayelaporro, waiting for an answer.

"My position remains the same." He said, a little nervously. Ulquiorra nodded, standing up.

"Meeting adjourned. You will be notified of any changes in the future. Neliel, Pesshei, and Dondachaka, I have quarters you may sleep in for now. It will only be temporary, but we do not have any towers free at the moment." Ulquiorra said. He would need to sort this mess out tomorrow, and preferably obliterate the threat of rebellion. He wouldn't be able to focus on his hunt for a heart while he had a rebellion on his hands. Everyone stood up, and started to leave. Ulquiorra made sure Orihime and himself were the last to leave, walking out slowly.

Ulquiorra sensed another reiatsu that wasn't Espada. Which was odd, considering there was no reason for any numeros to be down this hall, since the only thing it housed were Aizen's old personal chambers and the meeting room. "Woman, wait here." He ordered, walking outside to be met with a cackling voice.

"Baraggan sends his regards." A large Arrancar in its Resureccion form was standing on the sealing. He had the body of a spider, plus a bone fragment of two pincers coming down off of his chin. There was no doubt that his Resureccion was a spider. He opened his mouth, spitting out what appeared to be web, but it resembled a green color.

Ulquiorra sighed, using his hand to chop through it. The man's eyes widened, as he opened his mouth again. Rather than just remaining a long line of web, it fanned out and formed into what looked like a net. Ulquiorra disappeared, seemingly having teleported to the naked eye. However, it was merely sonido that he used to stand next to the Arrancar. It opened its mouth to shoot another wad, but didn't get it out. Ulquiorra grabbed him by the throat, and forced the webbing back down his throat, before crushing his windpipe with his other hand.

Ulquiorra threw the Arrancar to the ground, noticing the skin on his hand was starting to peel from having come into contact with the webbing. "Acid..." he muttered to himself, before reappearing back on the ground, opening the door. He walked in, and quickly picked Orihime up.

"Close your eyes." He muttered, slightly softly, he walked past the Arrancar, waiting until he was at the end of the hall to use sonido to get back to his tower. Ulquiorra walked in, and flicked on the lights. There was large lettering on the ground, no doubt written by someone employed by Baraggan, or by Baraggan himself.

"**TWO DAYS**" Is what it read. Obviously it meant Baraggan intended to dethrone him in two days. That, however, would not happen. "You can open your eyes." He said to Orihime, before setting her down. Orihime immediately noticed the lettering, and turned to Ulquiorra, a defiant look in her eyes.

"What's going on?" She demanded, causing Ulquiorra to shift his sad green eyes from her, to the lettering, then back.

"I'm the new King of Hueco Mundo, and Baraggan wants to kill me for the throne." He stated, turning to walk to his room.

"And you didn't tell me?" She asked, sounding slightly hurt. She had thought that her and the Espada representing emptiness had become friends of a sort.

"It did not seem necessary at the time." He said, immediately regretting his words.

"Not necessary? I could get killed." She said, more hurt than angry. Ulquiorra was shocked, and slightly offended. He turned to her, before saying coldly,

"Not with me as your bodyguard." Orihime was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say. It almost seemed like there had been some sort of emotion in Ulquiorra's voice.

"Oh...I'm so-" She said, but was cut off by the sound of a mechanical door shutting. She looked down, before sighing, regaining her composure and walking to her own room to finish unpacking and going to get some sleep.


	7. Resolve

**A/N: RyumaOmega made a few valid points, and in this chapter, I was just going to clear those up a bit. So this isn't necessary to the story, it's just to help the reader better understand where the Espada are coming from with their reasons for joining whom they did.**

**Also, yes, some of the characters WERE OOC. But for a reason. Such as Yammy. He isn't really smart. In fact, I've been hinting at some of the things Ulquiorra is going to do as King, that some of them don't agree with, such as Yammy. **

***CoughHewantspeaceCough***

RAHbooks: Yup. Yammy is still dumb as ever. But since Ulquiorra is voting for peace, he's against him because he likes to kill things for no reason also.

RyumaOmega: I can definitely see where you're coming from. I kind of stole the idea from you about Nel and Orihime healing her, but that won't be until next chapter. Also, Yammy never really liked Ulquiorra, (At least in this FF.) he was just paired with him to keep Yammy in line. And about your question involving Menoly and Loly, they're alive also, but since Orihime DID technically heal them when Grimmjow nearly killed them, they're not likely to attack her.

No Time For Cameras: Nope, no pun. Just a typo. 

**Chapter 7: Resolve**

Orihime awoke to a knock on her door, which echoed throughout the large and fairly empty room. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. Without warning, the door opened and there stood Ulquiorra. "Woman, wake up. It is time to get you your morning meal." He said bluntly, before turning and leaving. He walked out of the room, so she could wake up and dress.

After a few moments, she walked out, stretching and yawning. "Do you not like the outfits I had made for you...?" He asked, noticing she was wearing gray sweat-pants and a plain yellow shirt. Orihime darkened a little bit, before replying.

"N-no, it's not that...just, these remind me of home." She said, thinking she had hurt him. But how could she? His Aspect of death is emptiness, so it's not like he had emotions...although it certainly didn't seem like it last night. Ulquiorra turned, walking to the other end of the tower, opening the door.

"Woman, we need to leave now. I have some preparations to make." Ulquiorra said, walking outside, stopping a few feet away from the door, waiting for her. Orihime caught up in a few seconds, looking at Ulquiorra out of the corner of her eye.

"So...why are the other Espada rebelling?" She asked, truly curious. She felt that she was intruding a bit, but if it concerned her safety, she had a right to know. Plus, Ichigo, Uryuu, Rukia, Chad, and all of the others might be able to help.

"Baraggan Louisenbarn." Ulquiorra said. Orihime thought for a moment, the name sounding familiar.

"I'm sorry, but who is that again?" She asked, slightly confused. Ulquiorra merely replied,

"He is the Segunda Espada. The remnants of his hollow mask are a crown upon his head; he has a scar running down his face, and is very old." Ulquiorra said. Orihime nodded, remembering who it was. At first, the Segunda Espada seemed really intimidating, as feeble as he looked. Even more so than all of the others, save Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and Nnoitra.

Grimmjow, because of his insatiable appetite to prove he was strongest, even going so far as to injure his own Fraccion. Not to mention he was able to take a hit from Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho without even flinching, before he became a Vizard of course. Nnoitra, for his lust for battle in general, and cruelty towards all those weaker than himself. And last, Ulquiorra, because he had no emotion. Not pity, nor remorse. It made him an efficient fighter, one whose emotions could not be controlled by the enemy.

Remembering those were the most intimidating, Orihime was surprised to learn she was no longer afraid of Ulquiorra. Although he was still very intimidating, for reasons she couldn't place, she found that it was a part of him, and she accepted it with open arms. Well, not literally, but it was who he was, and nobody could change that. Unless...perhaps if she showed him love, then maybe he could change. But it would take a lot of work.

"That's it. I'll show him love, and help him grow emotions." Orihime thought, making this one of her highest priorities. Orihime shook her head, realizing she had strayed from the subject at hand.

"And why does he want to rebel?" She asked, curiously. Perhaps to get to Ulquiorra's heart, which she knew was there, she just needed to talk and listen, to get to know him before she tried anything drastic.

"Baraggan wishes to reclaim the throne, him having been the King before Aizen. Plus, he does not agree with my more peaceful ways. Which is also why Yammy left. Zommari, I am not so sure. But at the moment, I am hardly worried about him." Ulquiorra said, continuing to walk. "Aaroniero preferred things before Aizen came, where he could get his darkness. But now, being the Espada representing Greed, he wants to add to his darkness, and put all of Hueco Mundo into an eternal darkness. He plots to over throw Baraggan when he was weakest, if Baraggan were to become King." Ulquiorra explained.

Ulquiorra took a sharp turn to the left, nearly running into Orihime who had found herself slowly walking closer to him. Orihime thought, before asking, "Well, why weren't Stark and Tia Halibel at the meeting, then?"

Ulquiorra took another left turn, coming upon the door he had walked into with Baraggan not too long ago. He pushed the same metal plate, causing the door to open. "They have already chosen sides. Baraggan is the only one who Stark is loyal to, and Tia agrees that there has been too much conflict for us, and that we should enter a time of peace." Ulquiorra explained, walking to the line for food. It looked a lot like a cafeteria, only way larger. It was large enough to accommodate at least a thousand humans.

Orihime ingested all of this, before saying, "Well, what about the other Arrancar that came in after?"

Orihime grabbed a tray, handing it to her, before replying. "That was Neliel, Pesshei, and Dondachaka. Neliel used to be the third Espada, before Szayelaporro and Nnoitra did something to her nobody but them know about. Nnoitra hates the idea of a woman being higher up in the ranks than he is, which is why he hesitantly joined us at first, knowing Tia was with us. Szayelaporro prefers his lab the way it is just fine, and still sticks with us. He had no grudge against Neliel; he just wanted to test an invention." Ulquiorra explained. He stacked various items on Orihime's tray, who was surprised that they had food that looked even remotely appetizing.

"Why do you have a cafeteria?" Orihime asked cluelessly. Ulquiorra looked at her out of the corner of his eye, faint humor showing, although unnoticeable to all.

"So the Arrancar may eat, of course." He explained, before grabbing two apples, and setting one down on her tray. Fruit grew in Las Noches? This didn't make sense. Ulquiorra noticed Orihime staring at the apple quizzically, and decided to explain.

"Well, we wish to increase our relations with the Soul Society, even going as far as to allow an ambassador to stay. So far, they haven't accepted our negotiations. Just in case they do one day, however, we went to the world of the living, and gathered seeds for various fruit and vegetable plants, so there is some type of familiar food available to any who visit." Ulquiorra said. Orihime nodded slowly, but Ulquiorra could the see explanation fly past her. He sighed, placing his hand on the small of her back to lead her to a table.

"No, we do not eat Hollows anymore." Ulquiorra said. Understanding came to Orihime's eyes.

"Oh, okay!" She said, brightening up. She sat down on the booth across from Ulquiorra. She looked down at the food, before digging in. Ulquiorra merely took a bite of the apple, looking off into the distance.

"But...how can a child be the third Espada?" Orihime asked around a mouthful of food. It was then Ulquiorra remembered Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka, the ability to heal. He turned to her, his face unreadable as always.

"She wasn't before...Do you think your Shun Shun Rikka could turn her back into her adult form?" Ulquiorra asked, tilting his head to the left a little bit. Orihime wasn't used to having somebody so focused on her, besides Chizuru. But that was in a romantic way, to which she would never return the feelings. She swallowed the mouthful of food, before thinking.

"Well, we could always try. What's the worst that could happen?" she asked. Ulquiorra nodded, signaling to a lone Arrancar who Orihime had noticed was following them since they had left Ulquiorra's tower. The tall, slender Arrancar came forward, a plate on top of his head resembling the top of a chameleon's skull.

"Yes, my Lord?" He asked, falling to one knee. Ulquiorra kept his gaze on Orihime, most likely judging her, she thought.

"Send word to Neliel Tu that I wish to see her in the Throne room today at half past noon." Ulquiorra said, before taking another bite of the apple. The Arrancar's nose twitched at the mention of Nel's name, but nevertheless, complied.

"Yes, my Lord." He said, walking to the pressure plate. He pushed the button, and then it seemed he was gone. Orihime then noticed a faint outline of a person, resembling the Arrancar. He was blending in with the wall and the shadows! That was it. It must have been when he had to step into the sunlight earlier today when she saw him, his camouflage reflexes too slow.

Orihime shoveled down the rest of her food, surprised when Ulquiorra took her tray, and threw it away for her, along with the remnants of his apple. This confused her. She had to eat a whole plate of food to be full, yet he only ate a half of an apple? "You're going to starve." She said, thinking his body worked the same as theirs.

Ulquiorra shook his head, saying, "No. Our body obtains more calories from the food, and in turn, more energy. The energy is needed for our Hierro, and the rest is sent to our bodies. An apple and a half a day are all that I need to maintain health." He said, walking to the plate. Orihime followed him, walking outside into the corridor with him.

"So...what is your relation with all of the other humans?" Ulquiorra asked, curious. Orihime blushed, before answering.

"Well, Uryuu and I are friends, and so are Rukia and I. Chad is like an older brother to me, and Ichigo..." She said, not really knowing what to say. Sure, at once he had been a romantic interest, but it seemed that he was no longer. At least, not after the events in Las Noches. Resolve firmed, she said, "He's a really good friend."

Ulquiorra nodded, not quite understanding what she meant by friend. "Tell me, what does it mean to have a friend?" Ulquiorra asked. He had always been slightly fascinated by humans and their emotions, and this was a perfect opportunity to learn.

"Well, it means...that you have someone who cares for you, whether you're sick, happy, or sad. They're one of those who mourn you when you die, and people who will always cheer you up, no matter what." She said, remembering her summer fondly. She looked up to Ulquiorra, who looked as if he hadn't heard a thing. Orihime knew he had heard perfectly, however.

"Don't you have any friends, Ulquiorra...?" She asked, her tone soft. Ulquiorra's eyes widened for a moment as she touched his shoulder lightly, before going back to their normal look.

"No. Friends are liabilities. They induce emotions, which are too easily controlled." Ulquiorra said firmly. Orihime was a little bit hurt, having considered him one of her friends.

"Well, have you ever had one before?" She asked.

"No."

Orihime looked down, truly feeling sorry for the King of Hueco Mundo. She couldn't imagine her life without her friends. She brought her head back up, looking at him.

"Could...I be your friend?" She asked, truly wanting to get close to the Espada. Ulquiorra stopped, his snake-like pupils staring at Orihime from the corner of his eye. He had thought he was devoid of emotion, but he could feel something gripping one of his internal organs. His eyes softened slightly, seeing the look Orihime gave him, although he didn't notice the change in his facial features.

"Yes..." He replied softly. Orihime smiled, tackling him in a hug. She was giggling, but Ulquiorra wasn't enjoying this nearly as much as she was.

"Woman, you're getting the seat of my outfit dirty." He said, rather irritated, although he couldn't help the positive feeling in the pit of his stomach. Orihime hadn't heard him over her own giggling. When she noticed he was on the floor, she got up and stepped back.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. Ha ha..." She said nervously, blushing a crimson red. Ulquiorra glared for a moment, before standing up and brushing himself down.

"It's fine. Luckily the clean-up crew does a rather good job cleaning the floor." Ulquiorra said, inspecting one of his sleeves which had touched the floor. Orihime looked down, continuing walking with him, still blushing a dark red. She started daydreaming about dancing, for no reason at all, when she realized something?

"How come there are no formal events?" She asked, which caused a thin eyebrow to be raised at her. "Like dances and stuff! You need to keep everyone happy if you wish to be King." Orihime said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Ulquiorra didn't really know the answer. He supposed because Aizen never did.

"Would you...like one?" he asked, hesitantly. He could care less, but if she was going to be here occasionally to help him find the heart, then he needed to keep her happy.

"Oh, well, I don't have a dress or anything, but yes!" She exclaimed. Ulquiorra nodded, before saying,

"Well then, tomorrow night, we shall have a dance." He said, walking. With all of the demands for dresses and tuxedo's, it was highly unlikely that the seamstress that had her own tower would appreciate this. But, at the same time, it gave her something to do with her spare time.


	8. Strange Feelings

**Disclaimer: I own none of what I type, other than Louise the seamstress, and the plot of the story itself.**

**A/N: Hey everyone, sorry for the late chapter. I've been a little held up with some problems back here at home. But, I was able to get over my whiny, mope-y self to deliver this chapter, so you all better be fraggin' thankful! Anyway, reviews with constructive criticism are welcomed. Actually...reviews in general are welcomed. (Other than flames.)**

**And a special thank you goes out to deathnoteno1fan-codegeasslover for reviewing nearly every chapter of the story, even though we're already at no. 7. And I apologize for the various spellings of Pesshei; I get confused because there's so many of them out there.**

**Shout-Outs:**

RAHbooks: Nah, it was one of the few times Ulquiorra will act on impulse. The idea had JUST come to him.

**Chapter 8: Strange Feelings**

Orihime stood in front of the ex-third Espada, a thoughtful look on her face. She tilted the little girls head to the side, inspecting it, before thinking some more.

"What is the meaning of all of this, exactly?" Ulquiorra asked.

"To seem more professional." Orihime said, smiling. Sighing, Ulquiorra put his hands in his pocket.

"Well, if we can get to it, then." He said, walking over to the table. Currently, they were in the medic wing, having sealed off one of the rooms so that nobody could get in. Nel was lying on the table, with Dondachaka and Pesshei off to the side of the room. Ulquiorra was standing at the head of the table, with his hands in his pockets. Orihime put her hands right above Nel, who swallowed nervously.

"Okay, this may tingle a bit..." She said. Ulquiorra walked out, hearing a noise outside. He opened the door, to find a note on the floor.

"Don't have the ball," it read. Ulquiorra crumpled it up, walking back in and tossing it into the wastebasket. He noticed the Shun Shun Rikka was already set up, the orange dome fitted around Nel's whole body. The crack in Nel's mask started glowing, which caused everyone to start intently. Slowly, the crack became smaller, and smaller, until it was no longer there. But not only that, the whole helmet started growing, and growing, until it resembled the skull of a chamois, an animal resembling an antelope. With each second the mask grew, Nel's body also grew.

Within seconds, no longer was did she have the small body of a child, but one of a full-grown adult, complete with her own curves and everything. Her outfit had ripped in the process, so it barely covered her private areas. Her scar had disappeared, along with the crack. Her eyes, which had been closed, fluttered open. She looked around, surveying her surroundings.

Nel leaned up on one elbow, using the other to press against where the crack had been. "I'm...healed?" She asked, no longer sounding like an infant. Pessei and Dondachaka's eyes grew wide for a moment, before they turned to each other, grabbing hands and dancing around.

"She's back! She's back! The procedure didn't kill her!" They chanted. Orihime and Ulquiorra both turned to them, Orihime looking confused while the latter looked as apathetic as normal.

"What do you mean? There wasn't really a chance she would die." Orihime stated. Pesshei broke the contact, what could be considered a grin on his face.

"Yes, but now we KNOW she won't die!" Dondachaka added happily. The ran up to Nel, both encasing her in a large embrace.

"Nel, how do you feel, now that you're back to normal?" Pesshei asked, pulling away.

"Weird...but right." She said, before standing up. Ulquiorra turned to a hook that was next to him, pulling an outfit off of it. It was similar to Orihime's. He handed it to Nel, who thanked him before standing.

"Woman, let's go. We need to get you an outfit for the ball." He said, walking out. Orihime nodded, before walking quickly to catch up.

"Where are we going to find one?" She asked, not knowing of Louise, the seamstress.

"We have a woman, Louise, to make our clothing. Should an outfit get ruined, then she is the one to repair it" He said, opening the door to the tower corridor.

"But...isn't that a lot of work?" She asked, feeling sorry for the old woman.

"Yes. Because of her Arrancar abilities, though, she is best suited for this task. Also, she has requested that she not have any help." He said, walking for a few more moments, before stopping in front of a door. He rapped his knuckles against the door twice, before she heard a raspy voice.

"Come in." Ulquiorra opened the door, leading the way into the tower. Orihime looked around, noticing rolls of white fabric everywhere, along with black thread. Orihime followed a trail of black thread to see a small woman there, the one that must be the seamstress.

"Have you finally got a girlfriend, Ulquiorra?" She asked, before erupting into a fit of cackles.

"No. She is here to help me find a heart." Ulquiorra said stoically. The old woman shook her head.

"Shame, shame." She said, before turning to Orihime. "Come here, dear. Let me get a good look at ya'. I promise I don't bite." She said, smiling as if that was a lie. Orihime gulped, before walking over. Instantly, the lady grabbed her and pulled her closer, spinning her around while holding a tape measure, getting the measurements of her bust, waist, and other things needed for an outfit.

"Yup. You were right to the T, Ulquiorra." She said. Orihime gave him a quizzical look, causing him to clear his throat.

"About your measurements." He said. Orihime's look became even more quizzical, but she just sighed and let it go.

"I've got the dress worked out, now it's time to make it. I'll need both of you out, NOW!" She said, banging a stick against the ground. Orihime jumped, surprised at how Louise could turn from a harmless, fun old lady, to an angry old codger. "Oh, and Ulquiorra..." She said, pausing for a moment. "Thanks for the heads up about the ball." She finished, not angrily but rather playfully.

Ulquiorra nodded, before leading Orihime out by setting his hand on the small of her back. Orihime thought for a moment, before turning to Ulquiorra.

"Ulquiorra...what did you and the other Espada do all day when Aizen was in control? I can see now you've got Kingly duties, but what did you do before?" She asked, truly curious. Ulquiorra thought for a moment.

"Well...I would always file my paperwork. Then I would keep guard over the prisoners. Aizen would always want to include me in their latest plans, to add strategy, and after that I would usually practice on the violin." He said, walking. Orihime nodded, before another question came to her.

"Why the violin?" She asked. Ulquiorra looked at her out of the corner of his eye for a moment, before putting his hands in his pocket.

"I feel...as I learn more about my past, the more I play. But there's always one missing piece, that I do not think even the violin could figure out for me." He said. Orihime thought for a moment, before she realized something she didn't know.

"What do you mean, your past?" She asked. At this, Ulquiorra began to retell the story of El Que Llora, the man-turned-hollow. After that, Orihime had to wipe a tear from her eye.

"That's so sad." She said, clasping her hands in front of her. Ulquiorra couldn't help but feel a pang in his chest when he saw her crying. It was weird, almost as if there was the beating of a heart in his chest.

"I can't even remember most of it." He stated. He had thought this would make her better, to stop crying, but what happened next even he didn't expect. She turned, and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm sorry." A muffled voice came, since she had her face buried in his chest. He could feel the warm wetness of tears soak through his clothes, and didn't really know what to do next. At first, he contemplated pushing her away, but then he decided to do what normal people do. He slowly put his arms around her, embracing her back.

When Ulquiorra spoke, it was softer than intended, as if he were trying to soothe her.

"Come on...let's get you prepared for the ball." He said which caused her to pull away, smiling at him, even though her eyes were still a bit puffy. She nodded, and began walking, wiping away at the tears that were on her face. Upon reaching their rooms, Ulquiorra stood there nervously for a moment.

"Do you know how to dance?" Orihime blurted the question out, embarrassed that the question seemed so random. Ulquiorra thought for a moment, before slowly replying.

"Yes." He said.

"Well...I'd like to dance, but the other Espada are too strange or scary..." She said, trailing off nervously. Ulquiorra nearly smiled, before answering,

"Yes, I will dance with you, Orihime." At hearing him say her name, Orihime went red in the face. She nodded, pushed the button, and ran into her room. Orihime threw herself onto the bed, dreamily. Tonight was going to be a great night. But...this would also be her last night until the next time Ulquiorra invited her. That means she had to make it last!

Orihime sat up, going to her closet. She opened it, and found a dress in there. How did that get there so fast? But then again...the seamstress DID have to be pretty fast to get all of the clothes done. Orihime took it out, inspecting it.

It was a white, that much was obvious. There was lace on the side, which she assumed were to tie in a bow behind her back.

Orihime put it on, careful not to ruin it. She really would have to give thanks to Louise. She did a spectacular job. Orihime walked over to the nearly-empty side of the room. She stood in front of the mirror, inspecting herself as she did. The dress was white, and fell down to mid-calf. There were two straps to hold it up on her shoulders, while the sleeves went down to her wrists. She tried tying the bow behind her, but couldn't do it. She opened the door, going to Ulquiorra's own, and knocking.

"Yes?" He asked, opening the door. The sight that he beheld was breathtaking. Orihime turned, pointing to the lace straps miserably. Ulquiorra understood, and tied it for her. Orihime put her hands together in front of her, nervously asking,

"What do you think?" Ulquiorra was stunned for a moment. She had even put her hair up in the back, using two chopsticks, leaving her bangs free-falling. She no longer had her berets, which he assumed she had taken out to look more formal. The dress covered up her bust entirely, although it was still obvious she was rather well-endowed.

"You look...beautiful." He said. Orihime's head whipped up, thinking that maybe Ulquiorra's features had gone soft, judging by how soft he had spoken. She was disappointed, but still really happy for some reason at the compliment.

Ulquiorra nearly didn't get his face to resume its stoic facade in time for Orihime to see him, but luckily, she was occupied by his words. For some reason, he didn't want her to see any of his weakness, and displaying emotions, to him, was a weakness. Of course, he had them; he just was able to bury them deep enough to where nobody would find them. Or at least, ALMOST nobody. This women was trying really hard, it seemed.

"Yes, well...I need to resume putting on my own outfit." He said, walking back inside. Within a few moments, Ulquiorra walked back out. Before, when he was out there with Orihime, he'd only had the pants, shoes, and undershirt of his outfit, leaving the coat left to put on. Now he had the whole thing, bow tie and all.

"Shall we go?" He asked, straightening his cuffs. Orihime nodded, as they started walking.

"Does this mean...I'm your date?" She asked, nervously. Ulquiorra thought for a moment, before answering her question with another.

"Is that what happens at human balls?" He asked. Orihime smiled, before saying,

"Yes. If a man and a woman go together, it means it's a date." She answered.

"Then it's a date." Ulquiorra said. There was that panging in his chest. What was that? He'd have to get it checked out by the new nurse, since Yammy killed the other one after she reattached his arm. Orihime nodded. She walked closer to Ulquiorra, and all of a sudden, grabbed onto his arm at the crook of his elbow.

They reached the massive dome, the area that typically served as a training ground. Ulquiorra and Orihime had to walk all the way to the front of Hueco Mundo, but were surprised when they got there. More Arrancar than they had known of were there, including most of the Espada. Walking in, everything looked rather good.

There was some slow music playing, perfect for dancing; which most of the Arrancar were. Loly and Menoly were there, dancing. They still inspired a bit of terror in Orihime, since they had attacked her before, but she doubted they would now; she saved their lives after all. Cirucci was dancing with Szayelaporro; the latter must have asked a dozen times before she said yes. Even the ones against Ulquiorra were there. Nnoitra was there, picking on some of the numeros. Even Grimmjow was there, standing off to the side, drinking something in a cup, and staring disgustedly at everyone else. Baraggan and his Fraccion seemed to be nowhere in sight. Even the lazy Stark was there, being forced to dance by Lilynette.

"Shall we dance?" Ulquiorra asked, turning to Orihime. She nodded. As soon as she did so, Ulquiorra held out his hands, to which Orihime softly placed hers in his. He led the way with a gentle waltz. He kept surprising Orihime, to say the least. First of all, he knew how to play violin; she never would have guessed Arrancar knew how to play instruments. And second, he could dance; very well, actually. They wove their way through the crowd, shocking most Arrancar. Some looked upon them with admiration, while others looked at them with jealousy for who their partner was. The majority of them, however, looked disgusted at the idea of an Arrancar and a human dancing.

After a half-hour of dancing, Ulquiorra led Orihime to one of the tables that had been set. He made her sit down, before going to get her some of whatever that drink was. He walked back, noticing Orihime no longer there. Instead, he found a note.

"On top of the dome." He turned, hearing a cry. Everything moved in slow motion, for Ulquiorra. All of the Arrancar slowly stopped, turning to the source of the cry. Ulquiorra turned, seeing Orihime being dragged out by one of Baraggan's Fraccion.

"Ulquiorra!"


	9. Engaging The Enemy

**A/N: Okay, ladies and gents, I think the story is going to be WAY shorter than I thought. We'll be lucky to get into the twenties. We'll be in the double digits for sure before I'm done, though. Well, until then, enjoy! Also, there WILL be fighting in the next few chapters; however I will only show you a few of the fights. Essentially, some of them don't matter, and aren't important, so those are the ones I won't be showing. **

**Also, I have news for all of you that love humorous fic's.**

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Uncanny Arrancar: It's a story about the everyday lives of the Arrancar. I'm one of the three authors of the profile, A Is A Failing Grade, and this is my own personal FF. Anybody who loves Bleach, and humor, will most definitely love this story. 

In fact...everyone who reviews on that story, I will read the entirety of one of your stories, and give you one big review at the end. Or, if it's incomplete, I'll stay tuned until it is and review every new update.

Reaching: This story by RAHbooks gives an in-depth look into the minds of Ulquiorra and Orihime, and it concerns their feelings towards another. I think it's a great two-shot, and is definitely a must-read for all UlquiHime fans.

**So read and review, everyone. It'll make my day!**

**Shout-Out's: **

RyumaOmega: Yeah. I got to say, I love your reviews. They really get me thinking about some things. THIS is where you'll get to see some of the new and improved Ulquiorra. But...heheh...you'll have to stay tuned. And about the Stark thing...

It seemed to me he held a certain regard or Baraggan. After all the other Espada died, he didn't care, but when Baraggan died, he actually got upset about it. Also, Dondachaka and Pesshei weren't as concerned for themselves changing back as they were for Nel.

Hands In Red Paint: I know! The internet likes to do that to me. Like, it'll be fine, and then all of a sudden EVERYTHING will be bolded and crap. 

**Chapter 9: Discovery**

Ulquiorra crumpled the note up that was in his hand. Hearing Orihime scream his name, it seemed as if everything had shattered. Various thoughts were running through his mind.

They were going to kill her. They were going to kill her to get at him. The one person who's ever seen him as more than a monster or member of Aizen's army was going to die. The worst part of it was; it was his entire fault. He shouldn't have brought her, knowing there would be a rebellion. He had hosted the ball, even though he had been told not to. He forced the Espada to pick sides. Maybe he wasn't the right one to lead, after all.

Clearing his head, Ulquiorra darted after the Arrancar. He ran outside, seeing a spec on top of the dome. Within the blink of an eye, he stood at the top, inspecting the Arrancar in front of him. It seemed all those who would side with Baraggan were there, including the Ex-King of Hueco Mundo himself. Ulquiorra reached into his pocket. He pulled out a communicator. He pressed a button, holding it to his mouth like a walkie-talkie.

"On top of the dome. Everyone." He said. Within moments, most of the remaining Espada were there. Nnoitra grinned, looking at Ulquiorra.

"With those women on your team, you're bound to lose." he said, licking his lips as he stared at Nel. Nel couldn't help but scoff.

"I followed you because you're weak. Now...I'll destroy you because you're weak." She said angrily. Tia raised an eyebrow at Nnoitra; she didn't care about the sexist remark too much, but he was too arrogant. She didn't like that at all.

"Ulquiorra...I'll give you one chance. Concede defeat and become the fourth Espada once again, or die here along with the woman." He said, pointing to Orihime. Ulquiorra turned his eyes to Orihime, and felt something off about himself.

When he saw her there, tied up and gagged, it felt as if someone had poured molten lead into his veins. Unknowingly, his hands balled into fists in his pocket. He took one hand out of his pocket, placing it on his zanpaku-to, squeezing the hilt until his knuckles turned white.

"Baraggan...I have dealt with you attempting to usurp long enough. It is time to end this now." Ulquiorra said. Most of the Espada were surprised, to say the least. Not at what he said, but at how calmly he had said it; as if it were too calm. It was unbefitting even for the fourth Espada. The actions with his hand on his zanpaku-to hilt gave away his anger, however. Why was he angry? He was supposed to have no emotions.

Baraggan nodded his head at Nnoitra, and then nodded towards Ulquiorra. Nnoitra grinned, and used sonido to appear in front of Ulquiorra. He brought down Santa Teresa, cleaving Ulquiorra in half if it hit. He was shocked, to say the least, when it hit another blade. Nel stood in front of Ulquiorra, her zanpaku-to drawn.

"I shall take this one." She spat, bringing up a leg and kicking Nnoitra quite a few yards away, using sonido to appear next to him and finish the battle. Szayelaporro smirked, walking forward.

"You. You get to fight me." He said, pointing to Aaroniero. Aaroniero merely nodded, before walking off with him calmly towards where they would fight each other. Baraggan sighed.

"Fuck this; I'm tired of waiting for this bullshit." Grimmjow said, charging forward towards Baraggan, only to be intercepted by Stark.

"I can't let you do that." Stark said calmly, Lilynette trailing behind.

"Well now, maybe I'll be able to show everyone my true power." He said, grinning ferociously. Stark punched Grimmjow in the stomach, sending him flying backwards. Stark followed after. Ulquiorra glanced at Baraggan. It was only his Fraccion and Zommari. The Fraccion were probably there for support, mainly. There was no chance they'd be able to stand up to an Espada.

"Who do I get to fight? I need someone, also!" Yammy yelled. Baraggan chuckled.

"Your thirst for blood is only rivaled by your stupidity. Come, Fraccion. We'll watch the battles from afar. If we lose...we'll have to handle things ourselves." Baraggan said. A Garganta tore open in the night sky. Ulquiorra, seeing they were running for the Garganta, ran for the Fraccion. In a second, Yammy was there, a fist flying for Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra side-stepped smoothly, grabbing Yammy's arm; Ulquiorra shifted his weight sending Yammy overhead and into the ground on the other side of him. Ulquiorra looked over, seeing Baraggan smirking at him from inside the Garganta. As it closed, Ulquiorra felt a strong blow to his side; it was strong enough to send him sliding a few feet away.

Ulquiorra looked over, seeing Yammy there, cracking his knuckles.

"Finally. I've been wanting to shove that cocky attitude down your throat for a while now." He said, grinning.

"Yammy...you're an idiot." Ulquiorra said. It felt so good for him to finally say that, especially since they weren't going to ever work together again. "You're mistaking cockiness for facts." he added. A vein throbbed in Yammy's forehead, before he opened his mouth, his grin still intact.

A ball of red formed in his mouth, before forming into a ray large in diameter than Yammy himself, headed straight for Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra, on the other hand, stuck up his hand, his index finger and middle finger pointing at Yammy. A dark green ball with black lightning streaking through it appeared. Rather than a large ray, the ray of Ulquiorra's only stayed as wide in diameter as his two fingers.

The two rays met, the red pushing ferociously against the dark green with black sparks running through. After merely a second of this, the green ray split straight down the red's middle. The red Cero split in half, allowing the green Cero passage straight to Yammy.

When it hit, it caused a truly large explosion. All of the fighting everywhere nearby stopped, the combatants bracing themselves for the wave of wind that was caused from it. Ulquiorra himself had to cover his eyes in order to keep from getting a ton of sand in them. The wave washed across everyone, sending the tails of Ulquiorra's jacket flying out from behind him, sending even a few lesser Espada, such as Aaroniero, Szayelaporro, and Zommari, to their bottom; the force was strong enough to knock their legs out from underneath them.

Ulquiorra looked on, seeing the dust clear. He saw a colossal figure in the distance; clearly Yammy's Resureccion.

"Be Enraged, IRA!" He said calmly, before roaring out his zanpaku-to's name. Yammy chuckled darkly, walking up to Ulquiorra. "Not so smooth now, are you?" He asked, stomping on the ground. It caused the top of the dome to collapse where Yammy's foot had been; the stomp also had the power to cause Ulquiorra to lose his footing. Seeing Ulquiorra distracted, Yammy reached down and grabbed Ulquiorra, who was still trying to regain his balance.

"Now...I will show you what REAL trash is!" Yammy exclaimed, wrapping his other hand around Ulquiorra, and squeezing. He grinned, hearing the popping of bones. In an instant, his look of savage blood lust turned to one of surprise. He was still applying pressure to his hands, but now it was obvious that he wasn't doing it to squeeze Ulquiorra harder. Slowly, as if someone were prying open a clam, his hands were opening, revealing a struggling Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra's face was contorted to one of complete focus, barely able to use his leg and arm muscles to pry open Yammy's hands. Ulquiorra looked terrible; the horn on the fragment of his Hollow mask had been broken at the tip, there was blood leaking down onto his right eye from his forehead, and his arm was now at an odd angle, clearly having been dislocated.

When Yammy's hands were open enough, Ulquiorra used sonido to run out, before they could close around him again. "That was a cheap trick." He said, eyeing Yammy. He grabbed his left arm, before popping it back into place. Yammy's eyebrow twitched, as he yelled,

"Well it's not like it matters! I'll kill you anyway!" Yammy's size increased quite a bit, as he slammed his fist down into the ground. Ulquiorra moved to Yammy's right, easily evading the blow.

"Yammy...you've never been able to defeat me. I will always reign supreme when we fight." he said. Yammy snarled ferociously, becoming even larger. Yammy shot a red bala at Ulquiorra. But, like Ichigo in his Vizard form, the bala moved even slower to Ulquiorra than before. Ulquiorra was able to easily evade this, also; although unlike when he had to fight Ichigo, he actually had to run to move.

The bala, like Yammy's fist before, and foot before that, crashed through the dome. "Yammy...I told you you were an idiot." Ulquiorra said.

"What?" He roared. Ulquiorra pointed his finger towards the ground in front of Yammy. It was exactly across from the other three holes Yammy had made. His cero slowly started charging. Unlike before, this would be a Cero Oscuras. Deciding something else, he aimed it at Yammy's feet. The blast flew from his fingertips, faster than if he were to do a bala. It was wide, wider than even Yammy's own Cero, easily being four times the size of Yammy's. It blasted the ground right from underneath Yammy, as well as disintegrating the majority of Yammy's front legs.

All of a sudden, the ground before Yammy started falling, forming a path all the way to the giant. Yammy looked down, before glaring at Ulquiorra. He went to reach for Ulquiorra, but was too slow. He fell down the hole, which was a greater distance than when Uryuu had knocked him down the floors.

Ulquiorra turned, needing to regroup with the remaining Espada; he would help them if need be, although he'd prefer not to. Ulquiorra turned back, hearing a voice come from deep within the dome.

"Ulquiorra~" It sang, sounding angry and rough. Ulquiorra looked down, seeing a hand fly through the ground towards him.


	10. Goodbye, My Acquaintance

**A/N: So...school's here. That means I probably won't be updating as much as I'd like. However, I WILL try to update once or twice a week. So...without further ado, chapter number 10. By the way, I would like to say, once again, how proud I am of you guys for all of the reviews. Also, sorry for the OC'ness. I know that they seem out of character, but this is one of the chapters I didn't enjoy writing. Aside from the beginning. **

**Warning: It's about to get gory.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, or else Ulquiorra would end up getting his own series and coming back to life. **

**Shout-Out's: **

RyumaOmega: I would like to say, that you have quite a few awesome ideas, and since you offered, I might have to use them. :P I'd say more, but I feel like if I say anything else, I'd be letting loose a few turns in the story. 

Hands in Red Paint: It's cool. And again, it's my fraggin' computer that does that. :/

RAHbooks: Well yeah. Every good story needs a cliffhanger. Haha. But seriously. The release is awesome. And no need to thank me. I was just giving my honest opinion on the story. Hope it got you some reviews!

No Time For Cameras: Yeah, you and I both. I've got SOME idea, but I'm not sure...I need to look up how cocky Baraggan is before I make any sudden decisions. :P

**Chapter 10: Goodbye, My Acquaintance**

Ulquiorra fell through the crack that had formed, down into the dome. He looked down, noticing Yammy had reached his final stage of anger. His eight legs had gone, replaced by two feet again. His tail was no longer clubbed, and overall, his appearance turned more ape-like. Yammy opened his mouth, firing a large, red cero. It hit Ulquiorra directly, as he was still overcoming his shock. Ulquiorra went flying, all the way into the wall on the far end of the dome.

Ulquiorra pulled himself from the wall, now with his body indent. He fell to his feet, glaring at the large Yammy off in the distance. Ulquiorra used sonido, appearing next to Yammy. He ran up the large ape man until he was at the base of his throat, where he proceeded to stab Yammy in the throat with his bare hand.

"That tickles." The larger Arrancar said, batting Ulquiorra away like a fly. Ulquiorra then ran at Yammy's legs to take them from underneath him. The larger Arrancar, seeing this, sent that leg towards Ulquiorra, sending him flying back with a powerful kick. Ulquiorra put his hand down, stopping himself. He stood up straight, sizing Yammy up. At this rate, he would never be able to get in close enough to land an attack without getting injured.

Slowly, Ulquiorra drew his zanpaku-to, Murcielago. "Enclose, Murcielago." He said. A black burst of spiritual energy with a green outline emanated from Murcielago, going into the sky and falling as rain. Ulquiorra's hair started growing longer, becoming wilder. The rain started collecting on Ulquiorra's head, forming his hollow mask. His Espada coat grew, becoming just one large coat rather than two separate pieces. His fingernails started lengthen, while the lines on his face resembling tear drops became black, larger, and more triangular.

Last, the spiritual energy rain started collecting on his back, forming two large black wings. At the sudden burst of spiritual energy, even Yammy in his gargantuan size was pushed back a few feet.

"Well well, looks like I have a bigger fly to swat." Yammy said, grinning viciously. Ulquiorra walked slowly to Yammy, standing there and looking up at the large man. Yammy brought one fist up, before bringing it down hard to smash the bat-like King. Yammy's fist hit the ground, and he heard a satisfying crack. He lifted his fist up; realizing he only hit the ground.

Blood suddenly flew from Yammy's fist, as one of his fingers fell to the ground. Off to the side a few yards stood Ulquiorra, a glowing green javelin in his hand with blood dripping off. "I will make you pay...for putting the woman in danger." He said coldly. "I will make this as painful as possible, and teach you the meaning of fear and despair." Ulquiorra said. He let go of the javelin, which miraculously stayed floating in the air. Ulquiorra turned around, now facing Yammy. The javelin flew of its own accord, as if thrown, piercing through another of Yammy's fingers, the dismembered attachment falling to the ground.

"Do you know why you are going to die here, Yammy?" Ulquiorra asked, as five more javelins appeared in the air around his body, floating there. Yammy's eyebrow twitched, before he started yelling.

"I'm not going to die! I'm not even done here!" He yelled, sending two bala flying straight for Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra brushed them aside as if they were nothing, before resuming his speech.

"It is because you are a fool. You fight with merely brute strength, you chose Baraggan over myself, but most of all..." He uttered, before his face became illuminated by a bright green. "You had to resort to such a lowly measure as kidnapping an innocent woman to gain my attention." He said. Suddenly, hundreds of javelin riddle the air around him, just floating. Yammy's eyes widened.

In a flash, Ulquiorra's face was no longer illuminated, and a small explosion was heard. He had chosen not to detonate the javelins so Yammy would feel every last one of them. When the dust cleared, there lay a broken Yammy. He had various holes in his body, each being the result of a javelin piercing him.

Yammy lay there, still in his Resureccion. In the blink of an eye, Ulquiorra was on Yammy's chest, staring at the fallen man. "I will...not...die here." Yammy said, coughing up blood.

Yammy opened his mouth to fire a cero, the red ball forming in his mouth. A javelin formed in Ulquiorra's hand. Before Yammy could fire the cero, Ulquiorra had thrust the javelin through the ball, and deep into the man's throat. Yammy shook visibly, now on the brink of death. "Now...I will allow you to die." Ulquiorra said, disappearing and reappearing a few yards off.

Ulquiorra walked out of the dome, closing the door gently behind him. He stood for a moment, before snapping his fingers. A large explosion occurred, destroying the dome and everything in it completely. An improvement Ulquiorra found he had, was that now his Luz de la Luna now seemed more like his Lanza Del Relempago in the fact that both could be blown up. Ulquiorra hadn't been in his Segunda Etapa since his fight with Ichigo, so unfortunately, he didn't know the improvements to his second form.

With a sigh, Ulquiorra used Pesquisa to find out where Baraggan was. He needed to find the woman. She needed to explain something to him, these emotions he was feeling. The thought of her in danger or even not there, made him angry, while the idea of her death made him sad. Her being there brought out a warmth he had never felt, and it confused him. It all confused him terribly.

After a moment of searching, he came to another realization. One of the other Arrancar may now where he is.

**Meanwhile...**

Grimmjow stood up from the blow Stark had dealt him to get them away from Baraggan. "Not to bad of a hit, yeah." he said, grinning. Grimmjow stood up, staring at Stark; the latter now standing a few yards away from the former.

"Don't expect me to take it easy on you because you're a lower-level of Espada." Stark said, as Lilynette ran over to him.

"Heh, I'd prefer you not to." Grimmjow said, before running to Stark. He pulled back a fist, ramming it into the jaw of the Primera Espada's jaw. Starrk's head turned, but he continued staring at Grimmjow as if nothing had happened.

"My turn." he said, sending a kick to Grimmjow's chest. The sixth Espada flew back a few feet, holding his now-dark purple ribs. "Not too shabby. But since getting out of hell, Bat-Boy's not the only one that improved." He said, chuckling darkly. Grimmjow opened his hand, so his palm was facing Stark. A cero formed in his palm, flying out and at Stark.

Stark was caught, momentarily surprised. It had become as fast as a bala. It slammed into him with such force, it caused the top half of his Espada uniform to disintegrate, the lower half being torn up. A few cuts here and there formed on Stark, but he was otherwise unharmed.

"I'm shocked that it was so powerful...but that's it?" Stark asked bluntly. Grimmjow's eyes widened, as he felt a slam into his back from behind. Stark stood there, his arm outstretched from when he punched Grimmjow in the back. Grimmjow went rolling on the ground a few feet away from the blow, lying there for a moment.

He jumped back up, snarling at Stark. "Fine then, if that's how you want to play damnit, so be it!" He yelled, pulling out his zanpaku-to.

"Grind, Pantera!" he called out. He held up his zanpaku-to, like the start of a low sweep stroke with his right hand. The blade started glowing as his left hand went towards it, raking along the blade. A burst of spiritual energy, and tremendous gusts of wind started blowing in the immediate vicinity.

Grimmjow's appearance resembled something more feline and predatory. He now donned form-fitting hollow armor, a type of headgear rather than his jaw line from his hollow mask, and black claws on his hands, his feet black and feline. Along with all of this, his hair grew longer and his ears more pointed. Spikes grew out from his elbows, and his teeth grew to be jagged.

Stark stood there, unsurprised. He didn't expect the tremendous speed boost that came with it. Grimmjow appeared up next to Stark in a second, before raking his claws down the man's chest, leaving a deep gash. Stark stood there, eyes slightly widened. He retaliated with another swift kick to Grimmjow's chest, before performing a bala, knocking the other Arrancar back.

Stark, realizing if he didn't get serious, straightened up. Grimmjow was going to kill him if he didn't actually put effort, no matter how small. It was sad, seeing as Grimmjow was only the Sexta Espada. Stark held his palm out, firing a cero from it at Grimmjow. The cero hit with amazing force, sending the blue-haired man flying back.

Grimmjow struggled to get up, before falling back to the ground. He instead rolled over, so he could glare at Stark. The latter walked forward, towards Grimmjow.

"I really hate doing this...but...well; you have to be removed before Baraggan can ascend to the throne." He said, sending a swift kick to Grimmjow's ribs.

"Stark, just finish him already! You're only putting him in more pain!" Lilynette yelled, punching Stark upside the head.

"What was that for?" he moaned, holding his head.

"For not finishing the job! You're just making him suffer more!" She yelled, punching him in the head again.

"Oh yeah..." Stark muttered, rubbing away the pain in his head. It seemed that his Hierro was ineffective against Lilynette's punches, because they hurt pretty badly. But it also probably has something to do with the fact that they're the same soul.

"Sorry for stalling. It has to be done, though." Stark said. He walked over to Grimmjow, standing there. He held his palm out to Grimmjow, charging up another cero. "So long." He said, stifling a yawn with his other hand. However, the cero never hit. Instead, Starrk's arm fell to the ground. He stopped mid-yawn in horror, staring at it. Starrk's other arm fell off all of a sudden, and a shrill scream was hard.

Both Stark and Grimmjow were both surprised, seeing Lilynette in the arms of another Espada, held as a captive. Ulquiorra stared between the two, before saying,

"Tell me where Baraggan is or she dies in the most painful way possible." He said coldly, still in his Resureccion. Starrk's eyes widened in fear. Lilynette was the one person that kept him from true loneliness. If he lost her, he would just wallow in misery and become a recluse, if he didn't also die himself.

Stark sighed, attempting to regain his composure. "Check in the throne room. He'll probably be there." Stark said. He watched Ulquiorra fearfully, as he walked forward with Lilynette.

"I thank you for not struggling. Resistance was futile." Ulquiorra said, as if it were a passing thought, to Lilynette. He reached Stark, and handed Lilynette to him. Before turning around, he said, "But you're still the enemy. Ulquiorra held up his hand, two fingers pointed at Stark. Within two seconds, he had a Cero Oscuras charged and fired, blowing off the top portion of Stark and nearly disintegrating Lilynette. It would have been harder, had Stark been in his Resureccion. As it was, all he had to protect himself was his Hierro, and that wasn't much to go on.

The bodies fell to the ground, turning into small particles that blew away with the wind. Ulquiorra let go of his hold on his Resureccion, going back into his normal Arrancar form. Grimmjow merely stared in shock. Ulquiorra had just blown away the Primera Espada? Grimmjow was in his Resureccion, and barely made a large scratch on him, yet Ulquiorra was able to blow him away completely with a well-placed cero?

Thinking for a moment, Grimmjow started to start disliking the idea of fighting him after the war.

"That was pretty brutal...even for you." Grimmjow said, chuckling. Ulquiorra stared at him for a moment, seeing his condition. There were not very many flesh wounds, aside from some very dark bruises and burns from Stark's cero. The damage was most likely inside of him, as a result of repeated kicks. Ulquiorra walked over, hesitating.

Had the woman been there, she would approve of this, right? He was trying to make sense of emotions, so perhaps if he displayed a sense of camaraderie, that'd help further his goal. He hesitantly leaned over a bit, offering his hand to Grimmjow.

"Well fuck me, you may not be as hollow of emotions as you pretend." he said, taking his hand. Ulquiorra nearly rolled his eyes.

"Don't expect it too often. It's what the woman would want." Ulquiorra said, pulling Grimmjow to his feet. Grimmjow stared at Ulquiorra incredulously.

"Damn...you're in fucking love." He said, staring at Ulquiorra.

"What is love?" Ulquiorra asked. Grimmjow seemed about ready to explode at Ulquiorra's cluelesness, so instead laughed at him.

"Love is when you care for someone like no other, and you would do anything for them." he said, his laughing fit subsiding. Ulquiorra thought about this. In truth, he DID care for Orihime. More than he cared to admit. And he would do quite a bit for her. After all, he had just displayed that there was the slightest chance of whether he cared about Grimmjow dying or not, all because he figured she would approve.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened in realization.

"I've found the heart. And now I have to save it." Ulquiorra said, his fingers squeezing on where his own heart was, finally coming to understand what the humans mean when they refer to the heart as an object.


	11. Tears

**A/N: I'd like to give thanks to RyumaOmega for some help in this chapter. **

**Also, this story is going to be drawing to a close here pretty soon, so I would like to thank all of you who stuck with it until the end. If anyone is interested, I will be writing another Fic about Bleach, but more than likely the Protagonist will be a Soul Reaper this time, specifically a Captain from the Soul Society. So suggestions in your reviews would be appreciated.**

**Shout-Out's:**

12DEHD: Thanks for the review! This story is drawing to a close here pretty soon, but I guarantee you'll see more UlquiHime stories from me in the future!

RyumaOmega: Well...I already told you what I thought of your review in a pm. :P So I don't have much to put here.

RAHbooks: Yup. He's never been above getting his hands dirty when needed. I mean, I'm assuming that since he threatened to force-feed Orihime by hooking her up to an IV, or shoving it down her throat. And I agree, about Grimmjow and Ulquiorra.

Hands in Red Paint: I know! I figured I'd fix it beforehand this time. lol

**Chapter 11: Tears**

Ulquiorra rushed at once to the throne room, where he now knew Baraggan to reside. Upon reaching the massive double doors, he gave a mighty shove, causing them to fly off of their hinges. Ulquiorra's eyes landed on the large, old Arrancar; Baraggan.

"Give her back. Now." He said coldly, although there was an icy under-layer of anger to it. Baraggan looked at him, disinterested.

"Relinquish Las Noches to me." He said, staring at Ulquiorra. "Or she dies." Ulquiorra took a moment to compose himself. It was uncharacteristic of him to act this way, and he could not let anger cloud his judgment.

"If you believe you're so superior," Ulquiorra started, waiting to see Baraggan's now-interested reaction. "Then face me in a fight. I will show you to be humble." Ulquiorra said, his voice once again hollow, with just barely a flicker of emotion Orihime recognized.

"Very well...I gave you a chance." Baraggan said, standing up. "My zanpaku-to." He called to his Fraccion, Pow bringing him his large axe. "I believe we should skip the formalities, and go straight for our Resureccion." Baraggan said. He called out his release command, before adding the name of his zanpaku-to, Arrogante, afterwards. Baraggan stood up to his full height.

"Rot, Arrogante." He called. Baraggan was holding the axe in front of him, the head pointing down.

"Enclose, Murcielago." Ulquiorra called out his Resureccion at the same time as Baraggan. Red spiritual energy flooded from the red eye directly in the middle of Baraggan's axe, along with numerous jet black/purple flames, causing Baraggan's flesh to burn away, leaving little more than a skeleton. He was now wearing a purple cloak with a black fur lining the area his head was at, giving him a macabre appearance.

Ulquiorra stood there; staring at Baraggan, the empty sockets of the Second Espada's release seemed to stare back. Ulquiorra had not had a plan formulated before he came here, which he was now slightly regretting. No matter. He knew if he got close, Baraggan's Respira would attack, if the Senescencia did not get him first. Baraggan, tiring of Ulquiorra's planning, sent out his Respira to attack. The black cloud caught Ulquiorra unaware. However fast Ulquiorra's reflexes are, it did not stop the Respira from claiming his left arm. Appearing yards away with only the blink of an eye, Ulquiorra gripped his now-brittle, useless left arm. He ripped it off with one fluid motion, not even flinching from the pain. A cracking sound was heard, before another arm grew back in its place.

"I had not heard of your regeneration abilities. Perhaps you will be a better fighter than I thought." Baraggan said, the hollow eyes seeming to mock Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra nodded. A javelin of green appeared right next to him, floating in midair. The javelin flew towards Baraggan. Ulquiorra did not count on Baraggan using the Respira to cause the lance to explode a few yards away, the impact barely hurting the large lich-like man.

Ulquiorra frowned, not that he was showing any emotion aside from apathy anyway. Ulquiorra made another javelin appear, a Lanza de Relempago. He started running, a circle around Baraggan. The speed of Ulquiorra's sonido made it impossible for it to catch him, making it hard for even Baraggan to see him. As he circled Baraggan, more Lanza de Relempago formed.

When Ulquiorra stopped, there were now lances in a circle, surrounding Baraggan. Ulquiorra stopped next to the first one. Immediately, Baraggan's Respira came out of his body. Before it could stretch too far, Ulquiorra caused all of the lances to fly straight towards the second Espada. There was a large explosion, large enough to knock a few of Baraggan's Fraccion and Orihime down, Choe Neng Pow included.

Ulquiorra turned to go to them, but stopped. He turned back, seeing Baraggan still there, his skull slightly cracked, cloak singed, but other than that, he was fine. Ulquiorra frowned; he turned to attack Baraggan, but did not see the Respira creeping up behind him. It seemed as if it were a physical force. It struck Ulquiorra in the back strong enough to knock him a few feet onto his stomach. Baraggan laughed, a hollow sound.

"It appears I have won, Ex-King of Hueco Mundo." Baraggan said, walking over, and lifting Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra couldn't do anything, seeing as the Respira had made his back so brittle; it was breaking as he was just lying there. Baraggan picked Ulquiorra up, holding him by the throat.

"Now...I will give you an honorable death, at least. I will take your life with my guillotine." Baraggan said, as he reached into his cloak and pulled out his zanpaku-to, now with a longer, sleeker blade that was black. Baraggan raised the axe, swinging it.

Pain, that was all Ulquiorra felt. He could feel the pain, as the axe swept straight through him as if he weren't even there. He could also feel the lower half of his body falling away from him, as if it had never been there. The next moment, he felt Baraggan's hold loosened, dropping him. He heard a muffled sob, and looked over to Orihime. She was there, crying. She struggled against her captors, who, at a nod from Baraggan, let go. She ran over to Ulquiorra, falling to her knees beside him.

Orihime held her hands out in front of her, vainly trying to heal Ulquiorra's wounds. She couldn't stop the tears that were spilling out of her eyes. After a moment of attempting, she found she could not call her Shun Shun Rikka. Her emotions were in too much of disarray.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry." She said, putting her head on his chest. Ulquiorra's face softened as he looked at her. He put a finger below her chin, pulling her head up to look at him. He stared into her eyes for a moment, and her into his, before he said,

"Orihime...I have found the heart." Her eyes started leaking again, before she buried her face in his neck, crying even harder.

"And you've shown me what a true heart feels like." She said through her tears. Ulquiorra smiled softly, putting a hand on her back, rubbing it soothingly. Orihime straightened up, staring at him. She leaned down, and pressed her lips against his cheek, before pulling back. Ulquiorra raised a hand, pressing it against her chest where her heart was.

"...Yours is so...warm." Ulquiorra commented, closing his eyes. He felt tired, for some reason, a feeling he hadn't felt since his fight with Ichigo. Instantly images flickered across from his mind, various scenes from his life after becoming a hollow, after becoming an Arrancar, and even before becoming a hollow.

The human known as Austero played with the children of his tribe, while his sister looked on, smiling at herself. Out of everybody, Austero was the only one to inherit the black hair that belonged to their ancestors.

Abruptly the image flickered to another, where he stood above a man. "I am sorry, Chief Ungawe." He said, thrusting his javelin to end the man's suffering. Ulquiorra was in a battlefield now. He realized he must have been seeing everything through the eyes of all of who he was in the past. He was now in Austero's body once again. No, his own body. He turned around, taking in the sight of all of the dead bodies, noticing one among the others.

Another flicker of memory, and he was kneeling beside the woman from the first memory. His sister. He watched on, as if it were a movie, as Austero cradled the woman's head in his lap, crying. He roared out to the heavens, cursing them. His sister, his beautiful, kind, sister, was no longer in this world. She, who had taught him the meaning of honor, of chivalry, and even more important, of love. She had taken on the role of mother after their parents had fallen to Hollows, then known as the Spirit Beasts.

Next, he was standing in front of a funeral pyre. His sisters body was there, her once-soft tan skin now faded to a ghostly white, the color of Ulquiorra's own skin. He walked over, carrying a torch. He placed a kiss on her cheek, said a silent prayer to their deity, before lighting the funeral pyre. He sat back on a chair. She had been the only thing keeping him from the darkness in his heart, and with her gone, now he was no longer protected.

Another flash of memory, and he was no longer Austero. He was now El Que Llora, the Hollow. The negative energy of Las Noches had changed him, twisting him into a beast. Resembling a large bat, Ulquiorra devoured man upon man, leaving none alive, not even the children. All Ulquiorra knew in this body of his was blood, and anger. But even more so, was the emptiness. He no longer had a purpose; he might as well have been dead. Rather than die, he had let Hueco Mundo's energies change him. He no longer deserved to live, although it was now more than ever he wanted to. Even though that was what he was feeling as a person, it was his Hollow side that was the dominant part. It consumed everyone, burned everything, and then turned its sights upon other hollows.

The sand. It was underneath Ulquiorra now. He was sleeping, and could now feel a small energy coming near. Oddly enough, he found that the hollow inside of him was not excited. He noticed an orange-haired woman approaching, looking at him curiously, rather than with fear he had seen from the other human tribes of Hueco Mundo.

Ulquiorra didn't move, not even when she got close enough to touch him. She pulled out a hand, putting it on his mask. The mask was easily ten times larger than her hand, seeing as he was only an Adjucha, but it felt as if her presence were larger than his own. Her hand left a warm spot on her hands. She pulled it back, seeing what looked to be a clear green on her hand.

"You're lonely..." She said sorrowfully, ignoring the odd-colored tears on her hand. She walked forward, hugging his face. Rather than open his mouth and eat her, he wrapped a large arm around her, preventing her from escaping. She was right. He was lonely.

"It's okay...I'm not scared. I'll stay." She said kindly, kissing the area right between his eyes.

The next scenes were a flash, all from El Que Llora's point of view. They were all of the orange-haired woman, whose name was Elaine. Ulquiorra knew instantly that this must have been Orihime in another life. The memories were all of her laughing, as El Que Llora took her to various places. The ones that were not her laughing, were the ones spent alone at night, when she would curl up next to him. He would keep either his tail or an arm around her protectively. Strangely enough, with her there, he did not feel the need to consume everything in sight.

The next image was not as kind as the others. It was her, blood on her forehead. She was smiling sadly at El Que Llora, a hand against the cheek of his Hollow mask. Fear and emptiness were the main emotions running through the hollow. He had at last found something else to live for, but now she was leaving, also. Seeing the last light flicker from her eyes, Ulquiorra roared, a sad sound, the eulogy incomparable in its entire splendor.

The next flash of images was Ulquiorra, standing in Orihime's room after she had been kidnapped. Something about her defiant manner tugged on the strings on Ulquiorra's chest. There was a fire in her eyes, the like he had only seen in one other. Now that Ulquiorra remembered her, he knew that this was something that only fate could have done, to bring himself and Orihime together; both after and before his death.

Various other images of their time in Hueco Mundo flickered. As soon as these were done, Ulquiorra stood, in front of three people. Well, two people and a Hollow. One was him before he changed: Austero. "You have lived your second chance at life honorably and fully. Ulquiorra turned to the Hollow. It was very large. With a loud, rumbling voice, it said, "You were able to ignore the temptations of our hunger, for the sake of the woman. Ulquiorra then turned to the third, who looked exactly like himself. Unlike him, though, the other Ulquiorra's eyes were empty of everything. He realized, this is who he was before he had met Orihime.

"You have learned of love, and found the heart." They all said, reminding him of his accomplishments. They all disappeared, leaving Ulquiorra alone in the dark.

Outside, Orihime cried, before saying, "I love you, Ulquiorra." A soft smile settled on his face, and Orihime knew he had heard her.


	12. Segunda EtapaEnd

**A/N: Now, I know some of you didn't appreciate what I did last chapter, but you have to understand, surprise attacks are very devastating. Plus, with as quickly as Respira had turned Soi Fon's arm useless, I assume within seconds it would have reached Ulquiorra's organs, causing most of them to collapse.**

**ANYWAY, here's the last chapter! For all of you that read, but don't review, as a congratulations maybe a review would be nice? Sorry it's so short. But hear ya' go!**

**As always, reviews are greatly accepted, and usually well-received.**

**Shout-Out's:**

Korhyu: Like I said, the surprise attacks are usually more devastating than they appear. 

RAHbooks: I don't know whether it's good or bad that you already KNOW I'm going to bring him back, but I think I'll take it as a good thing. lol

12DEHD: Oh no, I'm not done yet. I don't have the heart to let the protagonist die for my first Bleach fic; especially if it's Ulquiorra. .

**Chapter 12: Segunda Etapa**

Floating. That was the only sensation Ulquiorra felt. A sense of calm, as if he were floating in water. The sea gently rocked him, while the soft waves created a lullaby of sorts. Although he was in this new place, he could still hear what happened around him in Las Noches. The woman's crying, Grimmjow's cursing, and even Baraggan ordering his Fraccion.

"Kill her." He heard from the gruff voice. Instantly, the ocean started getting more violent, the waves becoming more than lulling, starting to grow. Eventually, they were growing to tsunami size, while Ulquiorra felt himself sucked into a vortex, pulled out of the water and into the air. Along the way, he saw the faces of Austero, El Que Llora, and what once was himself.

"Save her, don't let her die. She is important to you. You have found the heart, don't let it go." They whispered various things to Ulquiorra, each giving him a sense of longing to wake up. He heard footsteps, and a shriek of pain.

Ulquiorra's eyes jerked open, observing the scene around him.

"He is not dead yet, Lord Baraggan." Pow said, staring at Ulquiorra. Suddenly, a sense of hate coursed through Ulquiorra, but even more than that, weakness. He was too weak to do anything. Ulquiorra struggled to raise one hand, reaching out towards Orihime. Pow walked over, placing his foot against Ulquiorra's chest.

"Die now, and be free of the physical world." Pow said, applying pressure. Ulquiorra winced, but brought his hands to Pow's foot, trying to push it off. Blood trickled from his lips, but he tried. He could not let Orihime died, would not. Slowly but surely, Pow's foot came up, eliciting a gasp from Orihime, and the others a shocked silence.

"I. Will. Protect. You." Ulquiorra said. He had promised he would, and he intended to keep that promise. Ulquiorra's tattered robe fell off of him, and seemingly melted into the ground. Around his lower body, what appeared to be fur had grown along his waist, legs, and arms, along with a tail. His hollow hole enlarged, oozing a black liquid resembling blood. The marks on his eyes widened, and turned even blacker, while ears resembling that of a bat grew from his head. Along with all of this, his hands grew claws, as did his feet.

Baraggan, his Fraccion, even Grimmjow's eyes widened at this second Resureccion, Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa. Every wound he had suffered, even those he had retained from the Respira that attacked his organs, healed. He found with his regeneration that now he was able to regenerate even more than before. Ulquiorra grabbed Pow's foot, squeezing it until it shattered. The large men yelled in pain, falling onto his bottom. Ulquiorra stood up, glaring at him. He grabbed Pow, before throwing him through the wall. While Pow was in mid-air, he sent a cero the likes of which have never been seen, obliterating the Arrancar completely.

Ulquiorra turned back to the others, the now-frozen Fraccion that had been advancing to dispose of Orihime. Within the blink of an eye, Ulquiorra appeared a foot closer to Orihime, kneeling next to her. Multiple sounds of gurgling were heard, followed by thumps, as the Fraccion fell to the ground, slashes through their throats.

Baraggan eyes Ulquiorra wearily. "You killed my Fraccion in the blink of an eye. Perhaps it is time I truly knocked you down a notch." He said.

"There is no notch from which to knock me down. However, you have yet to feel the taint of true despair." Ulquiorra replied, standing up. A green javelin appeared next to Ulquiorra, black sparks running through it. It flew at Baraggan, straight and true.

"How many times have you tried this by now?" He asked, as he let his Senescia do the work. The javelin tip went down in midair, however, landing a few feet away from Baraggan. "Is that it, whelp?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Ulquiorra merely blinked, as the javelin exploded. Rather than a large explosion, it went off much like a grenade, sending shrapnel flying everywhere.

Ulquiorra spread his wings, protecting Orihime from the razor-sharp needles of spiritual energy flying everywhere. Baraggan was shown to have multiple cracks in his mask, where a few of the larger needles resisted his Senescia.

"Parlor tricks." Baraggan scoffed. He pulled his axe from out of his cloak, where he had put it again. Slowly, the Respira oozed out of Baraggan, drifting to Ulquiorra, before charging at him. Both Ulquiorra and Orihime disappeared, leaving after-images because of the speed. Orihime reappeared a few yards away from where they were standing, swaying slightly. Ulquiorra, on the other hand, was swiftly charging towards Baraggan, formulating a strategy. When he got within a few feet of the Espada's back, he noticed his body start to deteriorate. Ulquiorra started backpedaling, stopping a few yards away, also. Slowly, the aged and wrinkled skin that had been Ulquiorra's chest moments ago started to heal, to smooth out again and regain its age.

"Well, it's obvious I will not be able to get within a close range to destroy you..." Ulquiorra pointed out. Baraggan smirked at this, sending the Respira back his way.

"It is time to show you my own bala, I believe." Ulquiorra said, frowning, before he shot a bala. Rather than the traditional red, or even his special green bala, it was something entirely different. It was a dark purple, with black electricity coursing through it. It flew at the speed of a bala, but it was obvious it had the power of a normal Arrancar cero of at least Cero Oscuras level.

Baraggan's eyes widened slightly, as he moved to escape from the bala. Instead, the brunt of it slammed into his chest, sending him flying back, onto his stomach. He got up, slowly and shakily, turning to glare at Ulquiorra, the cracks now the dominating feature of his mask. "Is that all you've got, boy?" He asked with contempt. Ulquiorra shook his head.

"No. Now, I will show you the true power of despair I have been so ignorant of." Ulquiorra said. In the blink of an eye, he was in the air. Ulquiorra held out his hand, palm up. He raised his other hand, pressing the fingernail against first palm, drawing a line, pressing hard enough to draw blood. Slowly it dripped down. Ulquiorra raised his hand at Baraggan, something akin to a grimace on his face.

"This...is my Gran Ray Cero Oscuras." He said, as all of a sudden the air started to bend, it felt. The shadows hidden around the room, all seemed to be drawn to Ulquiorra's hand, some of them even physically taking flight to go to his hand, from there forming into a ball. A shrill screeching was heard, exactly like that of a bat's. Ulquiorra slowly turned his palm, so it would have been facing the ground had it not been aimed for Baraggan.

After the room was completely illuminated due to the purple light from the glowing ball in Ulquiorra's hand, the light itself from the moon started to go towards his hand, also, causing it to take on a purple color. In Ulquiorra's own hand, the beginnings of a Cero Oscuras. Ulquiorra brought them both in front of him, pushing the two balls together. They downsized to about the size of a marble, floating at Ulquiorra's fingertips.

Ulquiorra pointed his right hand at Baraggan. Rather than a large blast, like most, it was just a thin ray, no wider than Ulquiorra's arm. It shot at Baraggan, straight and true. The bat-like screeching became more prominent, as the ray flew forward. Baraggan raised his axe to defend himself, but the Cero just streaked through, the axe turning into a puddle of melted metal in a matter of seconds. It pierced Baraggan through the stomach, creating a hole four times the size of the actual cero.

The cero went through him completely, stopping when it hit the ground. That spot had turned to glass, due to the intensity of the cero acting on the sand beneath the floor, which had been all-but obliterated. Slowly but surely, the whole ground below them turned to glass, smoothing out. Baraggan's eyes widened, as he fell backwards.

Ulquiorra came down from the sky, standing next to the dying Arrancar. "How?" Baraggan asked.

"Simple. I have found the heart." He said, turning. He heard, as the ash from the deceased Second Espada's body scattered off the sand and flew off with the wind.

"What was that?" Orihime asked.

"A cero with enough strength to make magma appear as a block of ice." Ulquiorra said. Orihime shook her head.

"No, I mean what you said to him." Orihime pointed out. Ulquiorra straightened, a slight pink palor coming to his cheeks.

"I have found the heart...and it was you." He said, raising a hand to cup her cheek. He leaned down, hesitating. Orihime reached up, and getting impatient, pulled Ulquiorra down to her level, pressing her two pink lips against his own lower and upper black one. Ulquiorra was shocked, but eventually kissed her back.

"This is going to make Ishida terribly jealous." Ulquiorra pointed out against her lips. She lightly smacked him aside the head.

"You can't rub this in his face." She said. He nodded soberly, pulling away to stare at her. Suddenly, her eyes widened in realization.

"Did you just make a joke?" She asked. Ulquiorra's frown returned, although she could tell it was forced, and that he nearly wanted to smile.

"I claim to have no emotions. I never said I do not have a sense of humor." He chuckled, leaning down, and kissing her again.

**END**


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